Tried And True Caramel Candy Recipes

TRIED AND TRUE CARAMEL CANDY

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cook on medium-high flame.Stir consistently as the ingredients melt and combine.
• Let mixture come to a rolling boil and continue stirring consistently.
• Mixture will begin to thicken more and more the longer it is allowed to boil. Keep in mind that the caramel will firm up considerably when it is cooled.
• Cook to medium ball stage. Do the drop test to see how firm your caramel is.
• DROP TEST: Get a small bowl and fill it with ice water. Set it to the side of the stove and when you think your Caramel is firming up, take a spoonful and drop it in the ice water. Wait about thirty seconds so it has time to cool, then take the caramel out of the ice water and squish it between your fingers. If it isn't as firm as you want it, cook the caramel for a bit longer and then do another drop test. Keep doing this until it has reached the stage you want. See how easy and simple that was?.
• Remove caramel from heat and let cool for a while in the pan.
• When it is somewhat cooled, pour it out onto a greased counter, or onto parchment paper.Let cool to room temperature.
• Use a pizza cutter to cut strip off the caramel, then cut the strip into small pieces and wrap in pieces of wax or parchment paper. The softer the caramel, the more likely it is to stick to the wrapping. So if you like it really soft, I would suggest you use parchment paper instead of the wax.
• The best thing about this recipe is that it tastes good no matter how hard or soft you cook it. If you want a caramel syrup, then you boil it for a very short while. If you want a caramel toffee, the flavor will still be as wonderful. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have over the years.

MY MOM'S FAMOUS CARAMELS

Steps:

• Butter the sides and bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside.
• In a medium heavy saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk, salt and butter.
• Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to ensure the sugar is completely melted, bring the mixture to a boil and add the rest of the sweetened condensed milk when it begins to boil.
• Insert the candy thermometer and clip onto your pan at this point. Once the second half of the condensed milk has been added and the mixture is boiling again, stop stirring to prevent sugar crystallization (which means the caramels will have a grainy texture). Boil the mixture still at medium-low heat, without stirring until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (234 degrees F). If you like your caramels a bit firmer, you can cook them up to 248 degrees F, which is firm ball stage but I prefer mine really soft (I will warn you that most people find this stage a bit too soft so use your best judgment and preference).
• When the caramel reaches the right temperature, immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and toasted pecans (if using).
• Carefully pour the hot mixture into the prepared pan without scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. Let the caramel cool completely before cutting into squares and wrapping in waxed paper.

SOFT 'N' CHEWY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; grease foil with 2 teaspoons butter. Cube remaining butter. In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in remaining cream. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 250° (hard-ball stage), stirring frequently. Remove from the heat; stir in cubed butter and vanilla until well mixed, about 5 minutes. , Pour into prepared pan. Cool. Remove foil from pan; cut candy into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

CARAMEL COOKIE CANDY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil and grease the foil with 2 teaspoons butter; set aside., In a large bowl, cream confectioners' sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Press dough into prepared pan. Bake 16-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack., For caramel, combine sugar, corn syrup and butter in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 4 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat; gradually stir in milk., Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour over prepared crust. Refrigerate 2 hours or until caramel is set., Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut into 3-1/4x3/4-in. bars. In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip bars in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on a waxed paper-lined sheet; refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.

HOMEMADE CARAMELS RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt butter over stove top. Add brown sugar and salt, mixing well.
• Stir in corn syrup.
• Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until candy reaches firm ball stage (245 degrees).
• This will take 12-15 minutes approx.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Let cool.
• Cut into 48 pieces with a sharp knife.
• Optional: Wrap each piece in wax paper.