Extra Creamy Sea Salt Caramels-

O

h, the love-hate relationship we have with homemade caramels at our house. We love to give these requested caramels to neighbors as Christmas gifts but oh, how we hate to wrap each individual caramel.

When caramel making day arrives we cut hundreds of little squares of parchment to individually wrap each buttery, soft mass of goodness. This process requires patience and several really good Christmas movies. The girls and I make and pour the trays of caramel. While the caramel cools and sets up we cut the squares of parchment.  Now, comes the most important step… Pop in a Christmas movie and start wrapping. We usually start with “Christmas Vacation” but very often supplying the whole neighborhood with irresistible caramel requires the entire Tim Allen “Santa Clause” series.

Try these rich, buttery caramels and you too will transform family movie night into family caramel wrapping movie night…enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp. ground sea salt

1 cup light corn syrup

1 15-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Line 8×8 inch brownie pan with parchment paper. Be sure to right angle fold the corners, allowing the parchment to maintain the square shape of the pan.
2. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan
3. Add brown sugar, sea salt, and corn syrup. Stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, constantly stirring.
5. Stir constantly over medium heat until candy reaches firm ball stage (245°F).
6. Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir until well combined.
7. Pour into parchment-lined brownie pan.
8. Allow to cool completely.
9. Using a buttered knife cut into squares.
10. Wrap caramels parchment paper squares.

Tips:

• INFRARED THERMOMETER!!! Get a laser digital thermometer and your candy making ability will improve 100%. Candy thermometers are so incredibly finicky and there are a million variables that can cause a misread on the temperature. For under $20.00 you can take the guesswork out of candy making.  I do not sell thermometers nor do I endorse a brand…I just want you to love candy making as much as I do. This will be the single most important purchase that will make your candy making life easier.
• Be sure to check the accuracy of your candy thermometer by boiling water before using it. If boiling water reads above or below 212°F add or subtract the same degrees in the recipe to allow for the difference. Even weather can alter the boiling point. As the barometric pressure goes up or down so does the boiling point. Be sure to calibrate the recipe accordingly.
• When the thermometer gets within 5 degrees of firm ball stage, begin the cold water test. Drop small amounts of caramel in cold water to test for a firm but pliable texture.
• The vanilla you use in the recipe is crucial to the flavor. I use Nielsen Massey in this recipe as it accents the caramel perfectly.
• There is no such thing as a ruined batch of caramel. If the caramel sets up too hard or soft, go to our caramel apple dip recipe and try the most amazing apple dip you will ever taste…you may start ruining a batch or two of caramel just as an excuse to dip apples!