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Old Fashioned Salted Caramels are soft and chewy with just the right amount of sweet and salty taste. Very easy to make without using a candy thermometer.
This recipe couldn’t be any easier. With only four simple ingredients, you can make luxurious Old-Fashioned Salted Caramels without using a candy thermometer. Because let’s face it, how many people really own a candy thermometer anymore?
I actually grew up in a home where my Mom owned a candy thermometer. I remember her using it from time to time but I don’t recall what she actually made. It was just that big thermometer – it really made the stove-top pot seem ominous and it had readings on it that said “hard-ball” and “soft-ball” and “hard-crack” “soft-crack”. It also looked really expensive. Truth is that I looked them up recently and they’re not expensive at all. But none of that really matters because you won’t need one for this recipe. I use the old fashioned way knowing when my caramels were ready – the cold water test.
The cold water test is easy, using a spoon:
- Spoon up a small amount of the hot bubbly caramel.
- Drop the small amount of caramel into a dish of very cold water.
- If the drop forms into a little ball that is flexible and you can squish it with your fingers, then it’s done.
The hardest part of making these caramels is actually wrapping each one. And I wouldn’t even say that’s hard; it’s just a time-consuming process. I also absolutely love the red and white candy papers I found on Amazon. Note: they don’t always have all of the colors available all of the time, but here are some red and white ones I also have:
If you get my Old Fashioned Salted Caramels as a gift this holiday season, consider yourself one of my special people because caramel wrapping is a labor of love.
Old Fashioned Salted Caramels
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 90 caramels 1x
Description
Old Fashioned Salted Caramels are soft and chewy with just the right amount of sweet and salty taste. Very easy to make without using a candy thermometer.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of granulated sugar
- 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup of light corn syrup
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Grease or spray (non-stick cooking spray) a 9×11 baking dish (I use a glass Pyrex baking dish).
- Cover the bottom of the dish with parchment paper, with extra paper draped over the edge of the dish. (This will allow you to easily lift the caramels from the pan when they are cooled.)
- Lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a stove-top pan, melt butter and sugar on medium heat.
- Add the corn syrup and continue to cook for 3 minutes until it is all incorporated.
- Slowly add the heavy cream, one cup at a time, stirring continuously.
- Cook on medium heat for 35-40 minutes until the caramel passes the “cold water” test (see Notes below).
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the top with sea salt.
- Allow it to sit at room temperature for 4 hours.
- Remove from baking dish, cut into small pieces.
- Wrap caramels in parchment or candy papers.
Notes
The cold water test – using a spoon:
- Spoon up a small amount of the hot bubbly caramel.
- Drop the small amount of caramel into a dish of very cold water.
- If the drop forms into a little ball that is flexible and you can squish it with your fingers, then it’s done.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
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