Classic Caramel Candies Recipe

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Classic Caramel Candies

                              Credit: 
                              Christopher Testani

Recipe Summary

prep: 25 mins

total: 8 hrs 30 mins

Yield: Makes approximately 120

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

Vegetable oil, for baking sheet

2 cups heavy cream

2 1/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cups light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Gallery

Classic Caramel Candies

                              Credit: 
                              Christopher Testani

Recipe Summary

prep: 25 mins

total: 8 hrs 30 mins

Yield: Makes approximately 120

Gallery

Classic Caramel Candies

                              Credit: 
                              Christopher Testani

Classic Caramel Candies

                              Credit: 
                              Christopher Testani

Classic Caramel Candies

Recipe Summary

prep: 25 mins

total: 8 hrs 30 mins

Yield: Makes approximately 120

Recipe Summary

prep: 25 mins

total: 8 hrs 30 mins

Yield: Makes approximately 120

prep: 25 mins

total: 8 hrs 30 mins

prep:

25 mins

total:

8 hrs 30 mins

Yield: Makes approximately 120

Makes approximately 120

Ingredients

Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Lightly brush bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides; lightly brush parchment with oil.

Bring cream, sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramel reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes.

Immediately remove caramel from heat, and stir in salt and vanilla. Pour caramel onto baking sheet, and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Lifting by parchment overhang, transfer caramel to a large cutting board. Cut into 3/4-by-1 1/4-inch pieces; wrap each piece in waxed paper or cellophane.

Reviews (28)

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574 Ratings

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Reviews (28)

Add Rating & Review

574 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

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1 star values:

Add Rating & Review

574 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

574 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

574 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

5 star values:
134
4 star values:
180
3 star values:
153
2 star values:
85
1 star values:
22

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

12/20/2018

                I make these caramels every year for Christmas and are a huge hit with family and friends.  I like a soft caramel,  so last year I cooked the caramel by 1° less then what the recipe states. (I think it was to 247°) which came out with a softer caramel with out it being too soft.  It was perfect.  But now I'm expected to make these for the rest of my life.  Lol

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

10/29/2018

                soft crack (e.g., salt water taffy)	132 to 143 °C (270 to 289 °F)	If candy was too hard...then the heat  was too high for for too long. My grandmother would keep a clear Pyrex measuring cup filled with 2 ice cubes and water
                 Soft ball stage ...drop a drop of candy into cold water in ive water cup to check
                  Chewy caramel candy drop ball should be firm but chewy.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 4 stars

12/19/2016

                My caramels didn't get hard, even after 24 hours. Any suggestions?

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

12/17/2016

                Love Martha... If you have a kid with a loose tooth, this oughta do the trick. After a mere 15 minutes, I could use this to scrape ice off my windshield

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 1 stars

11/20/2016

                I tried this recipe twice and it turned out horrible. It was hard as a rock and impossible to cut. Waste of time and ingredients. I've made other candy before without having any problems. Not sure what I could be doing wrong. I think recipe is just fatally flawed.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

01/05/2016

                Great recipe, thank you so much! I've tried it twice now and the second batch were even better than the first!  Another cool caramel variation I recently made with lemon myrtle is by Stirring Change. Thought I'd share it as it's unusual and has really wowed my friends and family and had them begging for more!  I can't post the actual link as it was blocked but just search lemon myrtle creme fraiche caramels and you'll find it.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

05/13/2015

                Also took me a lot longer for my tempature to reach 248. about 40 minutes. Caramels turned out very hard, even to hard to cut. Did some research on above sea level cooking - turns out I ended cooking my caramels 8 degrees to hot because of were I live.  Dont always trust your thermometer, do the math for where you live. Will give this recipe one more try.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

04/08/2015

                I obtained the warmth to just some levels beneath 248 they usually turned out completely chewy! It solely took about 10 minutes to get to that temperature. I additionally did not wait the entire eight hours - I waited about four hours and sliced and wrapped every of the caramels in wax paper they usually had been good to go! Made them for my husband's work and everybody LOVED them! Liked it! Labored awesomely.candy Boxes

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

11/24/2014

                is it 248 degrees celsius or fahrenheit?

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

09/06/2014

                Loved it! Worked awesomely. I did not have any problems with recipe. Very easy and yummy. Can not wait to add different ingredients for Christmas gifts. Thank you Ms. Stewart for the recipe.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

02/16/2014

                This recipe is so disappointing UNLESS you want BUTTERSCOTCH HARD CANDIES. It cooked and set up well. But cutting the slab into neat little wrappable pieces was impossible. The entire batch went into the trash. Complete waste of time and ingredients. The recipe to use for chewy-gooey caramels is Martha's "Golden Caramels" Dec/Jan 1995-1996 recipe with double the heavy cream, more corn syrup, more butter, & the addition of condensed milk. Con: you must stir continuously for as long as 60 min.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/21/2013

                It Worked!  Yah me!!  :)

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/21/2013

                Okay, because it was not setting up right for me, I put it in the fridge, however that didn't work.  I knew I could have used this stuff for ice-cream topping or something, but...
                I dumped it right back into my large sauce pan, and re-heated it back up to a rolling boil for about 7 minutes, and re-poured it back into my pan.  Will know more in 8-24 hours, but I think it might work this time because it had already started to "set" on my spoon while I was spooning it into the pan.  Wish me luck!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/20/2013

                I made these last night, and it never did set right. I am sticking them into the fridge to see if that will help them set.  It sure does taste good, but not firm enough.  Not sure what I did wrong, because I followed all the directions to the letter.  :(

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/18/2013

                made this but it never set right now its a light brown slushy looking mess what did i do wrong?

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

10/25/2013

                Wow... I like it!! I will try once and i also wants to package them into bakery boxes

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

08/06/2013

                Oh how fantastic, and thank you for this. I love a truly great fresh candies in candy boxes.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

06/26/2013

                These caramels are sooo good!! I got the heat to just a few degrees under 248 and they turned out perfectly chewy! It only took about 10 minutes to get to that temperature. I also didn't wait the whole 8 hours - I waited about 4 hours and sliced and wrapped each of the caramels in wax paper and they were good to go! Made them for my husband's work and everyone LOVED them!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

02/02/2013

                These are fabulous!  They stay soft and chewy over a 6 week period in a Ziploc bag.  The only bad part is cutting all of that waxed paper.  It tended to tear when I wrapped the caramels.  Would look into using cellophane the next time.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/24/2012

                Did not have any corn syrup, so I used 300 gr of glucose instead. Heated it til 243 ( NOT 248!!) and they truned out deliciously chewy. Definitely a keeper, will now try out the coffee-orange ones YUMMIE

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/22/2012

                This recipe is delicious.  The caramel was quite hard when cooked to 248-degrees, I've made several batches, and everyone loved the flavor.  There were people who liked the harder caramel, and some who liked it better when I pulled it off the stove at about 245-degrees. Again, stressing very flavorful, a sweet rich, pure caramel flavor.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/17/2012

                I've made a few batches now and have found pouring them at 243 instead of 248 makes for a much more chewable caramel. However, I don't know what pan the test kitchens were using, but it takes WAY longer than 15 minutes for these to reach 248-- closer to 45 minutes for me.  I've also found if you cut them while they're still soft (after resting 2 hours or so), then freeze them before breaking them, they come out in neat little squares that can be easily wrapped.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/12/2012

                I have a cheap-o candy thermometer I bought at a grocery store and maybe it's not wholly accurate? I made these they turned out SUPER soft which is good, I had to cut with the tip of a knife as the stuck to the rest of the blade. Also stuck like crazy to the wrappers, they had to be scraped off! Definitely not presentable enough for gift giving but they are super tasty and I will work on the wrapper issue.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/09/2012

                Like the other two commenters, this recipe did not come out quite like I expected.  I can hardly cut through the caramel, and it breaks quite easily.  I'm wondering if 248 is too high a temp for this recipe - most recipes for caramels only go up to 243.  It's tasty, but I can't share it - especially with anyone who has fillings!!!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/09/2012

                I am not sure if they were supposed to be chewy/soft or more like caramel nips.   mine were closer to nips than chewy caramels, but quite tasty.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/09/2012

                I am not sure if they were supposed to be chewy/soft or more like caramel nips.   mine were closer to nips than chew caramels, but quite tasty.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/09/2012

                I just made these last night and they came out very hard - much harder than I expected. I am not a candy-making novice - I know my way around a candy thermometer. Did anyone else have this problem? They're too hard for my teeth to handle, and when you drop a piece on the floor, it shatters.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

12/02/2012

                These turned out perfectly, my husband says they are the best caramels he has ever had (high praise) wrapping them up to gift now too!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

12/20/2018

                I make these caramels every year for Christmas and are a huge hit with family and friends.  I like a soft caramel,  so last year I cooked the caramel by 1° less then what the recipe states. (I think it was to 247°) which came out with a softer caramel with out it being too soft.  It was perfect.  But now I'm expected to make these for the rest of my life.  Lol

Rating: 5 stars

10/29/2018

                soft crack (e.g., salt water taffy)	132 to 143 °C (270 to 289 °F)	If candy was too hard...then the heat  was too high for for too long. My grandmother would keep a clear Pyrex measuring cup filled with 2 ice cubes and water
                 Soft ball stage ...drop a drop of candy into cold water in ive water cup to check
                  Chewy caramel candy drop ball should be firm but chewy.

Rating: 4 stars

12/19/2016

                My caramels didn't get hard, even after 24 hours. Any suggestions?

Rating: 4 stars

Rating: 5 stars

12/17/2016

                Love Martha... If you have a kid with a loose tooth, this oughta do the trick. After a mere 15 minutes, I could use this to scrape ice off my windshield

Rating: 1 stars

11/20/2016

                I tried this recipe twice and it turned out horrible. It was hard as a rock and impossible to cut. Waste of time and ingredients. I've made other candy before without having any problems. Not sure what I could be doing wrong. I think recipe is just fatally flawed.

Rating: 1 stars

Rating: Unrated

01/05/2016

                Great recipe, thank you so much! I've tried it twice now and the second batch were even better than the first!  Another cool caramel variation I recently made with lemon myrtle is by Stirring Change. Thought I'd share it as it's unusual and has really wowed my friends and family and had them begging for more!  I can't post the actual link as it was blocked but just search lemon myrtle creme fraiche caramels and you'll find it.

Rating: Unrated

05/13/2015

                Also took me a lot longer for my tempature to reach 248. about 40 minutes. Caramels turned out very hard, even to hard to cut. Did some research on above sea level cooking - turns out I ended cooking my caramels 8 degrees to hot because of were I live.  Dont always trust your thermometer, do the math for where you live. Will give this recipe one more try.

Rating: 5 stars

04/08/2015

                I obtained the warmth to just some levels beneath 248 they usually turned out completely chewy! It solely took about 10 minutes to get to that temperature. I additionally did not wait the entire eight hours - I waited about four hours and sliced and wrapped every of the caramels in wax paper they usually had been good to go! Made them for my husband's work and everybody LOVED them! Liked it! Labored awesomely.candy Boxes

Rating: Unrated

11/24/2014

                is it 248 degrees celsius or fahrenheit?

Rating: 5 stars

09/06/2014

                Loved it! Worked awesomely. I did not have any problems with recipe. Very easy and yummy. Can not wait to add different ingredients for Christmas gifts. Thank you Ms. Stewart for the recipe.

Rating: Unrated

02/16/2014

                This recipe is so disappointing UNLESS you want BUTTERSCOTCH HARD CANDIES. It cooked and set up well. But cutting the slab into neat little wrappable pieces was impossible. The entire batch went into the trash. Complete waste of time and ingredients. The recipe to use for chewy-gooey caramels is Martha's "Golden Caramels" Dec/Jan 1995-1996 recipe with double the heavy cream, more corn syrup, more butter, & the addition of condensed milk. Con: you must stir continuously for as long as 60 min.

Rating: Unrated

12/21/2013

                It Worked!  Yah me!!  :)  


                    
                Okay, because it was not setting up right for me, I put it in the fridge, however that didn't work.  I knew I could have used this stuff for ice-cream topping or something, but...
                I dumped it right back into my large sauce pan, and re-heated it back up to a rolling boil for about 7 minutes, and re-poured it back into my pan.  Will know more in 8-24 hours, but I think it might work this time because it had already started to "set" on my spoon while I was spooning it into the pan.  Wish me luck!

Rating: Unrated

12/20/2013

                I made these last night, and it never did set right. I am sticking them into the fridge to see if that will help them set.  It sure does taste good, but not firm enough.  Not sure what I did wrong, because I followed all the directions to the letter.  :(

Rating: Unrated

12/18/2013

                made this but it never set right now its a light brown slushy looking mess what did i do wrong?

Rating: Unrated

10/25/2013

                Wow... I like it!! I will try once and i also wants to package them into bakery boxes

Rating: Unrated

08/06/2013

                Oh how fantastic, and thank you for this. I love a truly great fresh candies in candy boxes.

Rating: 5 stars

06/26/2013

                These caramels are sooo good!! I got the heat to just a few degrees under 248 and they turned out perfectly chewy! It only took about 10 minutes to get to that temperature. I also didn't wait the whole 8 hours - I waited about 4 hours and sliced and wrapped each of the caramels in wax paper and they were good to go! Made them for my husband's work and everyone LOVED them!

Rating: Unrated

02/02/2013

                These are fabulous!  They stay soft and chewy over a 6 week period in a Ziploc bag.  The only bad part is cutting all of that waxed paper.  It tended to tear when I wrapped the caramels.  Would look into using cellophane the next time.

Rating: Unrated

12/24/2012

                Did not have any corn syrup, so I used 300 gr of glucose instead. Heated it til 243 ( NOT 248!!) and they truned out deliciously chewy. Definitely a keeper, will now try out the coffee-orange ones YUMMIE

Rating: Unrated

12/22/2012

                This recipe is delicious.  The caramel was quite hard when cooked to 248-degrees, I've made several batches, and everyone loved the flavor.  There were people who liked the harder caramel, and some who liked it better when I pulled it off the stove at about 245-degrees. Again, stressing very flavorful, a sweet rich, pure caramel flavor.

Rating: Unrated

12/17/2012

                I've made a few batches now and have found pouring them at 243 instead of 248 makes for a much more chewable caramel. However, I don't know what pan the test kitchens were using, but it takes WAY longer than 15 minutes for these to reach 248-- closer to 45 minutes for me.  I've also found if you cut them while they're still soft (after resting 2 hours or so), then freeze them before breaking them, they come out in neat little squares that can be easily wrapped.

Rating: Unrated

12/12/2012

                I have a cheap-o candy thermometer I bought at a grocery store and maybe it's not wholly accurate? I made these they turned out SUPER soft which is good, I had to cut with the tip of a knife as the stuck to the rest of the blade. Also stuck like crazy to the wrappers, they had to be scraped off! Definitely not presentable enough for gift giving but they are super tasty and I will work on the wrapper issue.

Rating: Unrated

12/09/2012

                Like the other two commenters, this recipe did not come out quite like I expected.  I can hardly cut through the caramel, and it breaks quite easily.  I'm wondering if 248 is too high a temp for this recipe - most recipes for caramels only go up to 243.  It's tasty, but I can't share it - especially with anyone who has fillings!!!  


                    
                I am not sure if they were supposed to be chewy/soft or more like caramel nips.   mine were closer to nips than chewy caramels, but quite tasty.  


                    
                I am not sure if they were supposed to be chewy/soft or more like caramel nips.   mine were closer to nips than chew caramels, but quite tasty.  


                    
                I just made these last night and they came out very hard - much harder than I expected. I am not a candy-making novice - I know my way around a candy thermometer. Did anyone else have this problem? They're too hard for my teeth to handle, and when you drop a piece on the floor, it shatters.

Rating: 5 stars

12/02/2012

                These turned out perfectly, my husband says they are the best caramels he has ever had (high praise) wrapping them up to gift now too!

All Reviews for Classic Caramel Candies

of Reviews

Reviews:

Most Helpful

Most Positive

Least Positive

Newest

All Reviews for Classic Caramel Candies

of Reviews

Reviews:

Most Helpful

Most Positive

Least Positive

Newest

Reviews:

Most Helpful

Most Positive

Least Positive

Newest

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Recipe Summary

Ingredients