Salted Chewy Caramels are easy to make little bites of sweet vanilla comfort. Buttery and soft – great for wrapping individually or using in recipes!
If you have been looking for an easy salted chewy caramel recipe, you have found it here. These are little pieces of buttery soft, chewy candy that will melt in your mouth. You can eat them right away or wrap each piece individually in wax paper for enjoy later. They are also great for holiday gift-giving. Pack them into a tin or mason jar and tie with a bow.
I have been making these for years, but this is the first time I have salted the tops. Now, I’m totally hooked. The combination of biting into a sweet caramel, then feeling the scrape of the salt is pure magic. Don’t worry, the salt does not overpower or make the candy “salty”. It just adds another layer to flavor for your taste buds to sort out.
How To Make Salted Chewy Caramels
Making salted chewy caramels at home can seem complicated, but it is all in the recipe. Some recipes call for granulated white sugar and cream, which can lead to the sugar crystallizing and the cream burning or boiling over. This recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk, so the sugar and milk have already been processed together perfectly so you don’t have to. And the brown sugar makes the caramels extra rich and chewy. Who can argue with that?
Ingredients Needed To Make These Caramels
- Butter – we used unsalted butter for this recipe. If using salted butter, omit the pinch of table salt from the recipe.
- Brown Sugar – light or dark are both fine. The color may be a little different depending on which yo use.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT Evaporated Milk) – Sweetened Condensed Milk has SUGAR added…and is rich and thick, unlike evaporated milk which is simply milk that has the amount of natural water reduced. Can be tricky because they are usually found right next to each other in the grocery aisle.
- Corn Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
To start, put all of the ingredients except the vanilla and sea salt into a medium-sized saucepan. I like to use a heavy pot with a thick bottom to stabilize the pot while stirring and provide even heat.
Bring the caramel mixture to a temperature of 234 -240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. The caramel is done at the soft-ball stage.
WHAT IS THE SOFT BALL STAGE?
When making caramels, fudge and pralines, the mixture is done when it reaches the Soft Ball Stage. This is when the sugar mixture dropped into cold water will form a soft, flexible ball. If you remove the ball from the water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand.
How To Store Homemade Caramels
If I am not going to wrap the pieces individually, I cut the pieces a little larger to make them easier to handle. Anyway, that is the excuse I use. Regardless of how you cut them, store the caramels in a tightly covered container or zip lock bag. If not wrapped individually, put pieces of wax paper between the layers to keep them from sticking together. Store in the pantry for 2 weeks, refrigerator for a month or freezer for up to 3 months.
Salted Chewy Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 2-1/4 cups brown sugar
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch table salt
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9 x 7 or similar size pan. Line with parchment, then grease again, to easily remove the cooled caramel. Leave an overhang of paper on the side to act as handles.
- Add all of the ingredients except the vanilla and sea salt to a medium heavy saucepan.
- Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reaches 234 -240°F. This will take about 10 – 15 minutes. Large bubbles will form at the edges of the pot. Cook, still stirring constantly for 2 minutes at 234 -240°F.
- Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla.
- Pour into the prepared pan and allow to cool and firm up. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cut into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper.
Nutrition
Notes
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Who can resist salted caramels. It’s my favorite recipe!