Hi friends! Hope you had a great weekend! I’m out of town so I have a fabulous guest post for you today. Thanks for stopping by! To get the newest recipes subscribe or join us on facebook.
Hey guys! I’m so excited to be guest posting here today! Isn’t Jamielyn just a doll? I’ve stalked followed her blog for some time now and it is one of my very favorites! Anyways, I’m Sarah and I blog with my husband, Zachary, over at High Heels and Grills. In all reality, that’s just a fancy name for “we love cooking together and we want a place to share our culinary adventures with the world.” I’m the main person behind the blog, but Zachary likes to stop in every week for Man Mondays to show off his kitchen skills. (And boy, does he have a lot of them!)
We were married about a year and a half ago and as we were getting down to the nitty gritty details of our wedding, it came time to decide what we were going to serve at our reception. I’ve been in love with my aunt’s homemade caramels since before I can remember, so I made sure that was one of the first things on the list. I’m so glad I did too! I was hearing for weeks about how much people liked them and wanted the recipe. Lucky for you, I’m here to share that recipe with you today!
I have to warn you – this recipe is not for the faint of heart. It takes some time, but I promise you this: it is so worth it!
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk (I know, super annoying. If you don’t want to waste the other 1/2 can, just double this recipe. Hooray for more caramels!)
- 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
Instructions
- Generously butter a 9×13 inch pan or cookie sheet and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, syrup, salt and 1 cup of the cream together on medium low heat.
- Bring to boil, stirring full time, and add the rest of the cream.
- Stir constantly and bring to boil again and add evaporated milk.
- Cook until 232 degrees Fahrenheit. (Again, stirring constantly.)
- Once it reaches this temperature, remove from heat and add vanilla. Mix well.
- Carefully pour caramel into greased pan and let sit for 12+ hours.
- Cut into squares and wrap in cellophane or wax paper.
These would make the perfect Christmas gifts or if you need something a little more here and now – they’d make great teacher gifts as well! Enjoy. :)
-Sarah
We are two people that have a passion for travel, adventure, and (you guessed it) cooking. We are no experts by any means, but we hope that you’ll join in the fun at High Heels and Grills and learn with us along the way. For more inside scoop, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Pinterest and Twitter.
Don’t these look delicious?! Thanks Sarah for sharing your yummy recipe! For more recipes take a peek in our recipe box.
Erin Hall {i can craft that}
Just a question about the recipe. it says just ‘vanilla’ I assume that’s vanilla extract, but i wanted to clarify its not vanilla bean or vanilla paste or some such. Looks great, defiantly going to try i out!
Sarah @ High Heels and Grills
Hey Erin! Yes, it is just vanilla extract. I’m sorry for the confusion! If you want, you could even leave the vanilla extract out for a more caramel-y flavor or my mom likes to use Mexican vanilla as well. Good luck making them and I’d love to know how they turn out!!
Emily
Roughly how long would you say it took you to make a batch of caramels (not including the 12+ hours of cooling time.). I really want to make these but want to make sure I have enough time. They sound delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah @ High Heels and Grills
Great question Emily! It took me a good hour and a half to do all of it. The mixing it together part isn’t bad, it’s the getting it to the right temperature part that took a lot of time. Hang in there though! They’re fantastic :)
katie s
Oh my those look tasty! I really need to remember to buy a candy thermometer next time I’m at the store so I can make these!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Angie
Great post!! I love caramels but I don’t like the way they stick in my teeth. But these look like they are soft….I am definitely going to keep this recipe. I may be able to go back to eating and enjoying caramel…..thank you for sharing.
Jen Marrs @ Four Marrs & One Venus
Oh yum..give me all of it! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing cooking sweet talents with us!
arika
These looks so good! I’m loving all the recipes you’re posting.
Mike Pallo
I have a very similar recipe that will yield better results with better flavor, does not stick to your teeth and will give you Grandma results, I’m sure yours are good but I will stick to my recipe.
Elaine
Share?
Annett
I precisely had to thank you very much yet again.
I do not know what I would’ve undertaken in the absence of the type of ideas shown by you on my area of interest. It had become an absolute intimidating crisis in my circumstances, nevertheless noticing a new professional mode you resolved the issue took me to weep for delight. I am just happier for the guidance and even trust you realize what a great job you happen to be getting into training people through a blog. I know that you’ve
never come across all of us.
Lisa
Yummy! I can imagine those are amazing.
Nicole
I think I’ll try to make this and if they turn out great…i’ll def do them for christmas
Patricia
hi there! Just wondering if you could use any kind of substitute for corn syrup? I’d love to make this without it…
The Better Baker
BE STILL MY HEART! Caramels are my most favorite thing in the world, second to chocolate anything. These look fabulous. I think it’s so great you and your hubs cook together. Great for you.
Erin Hall {i can craft that}
one more question, where did u get the wrappers from???
Sarah @ High Heels and Grills
I actually bought a cellophane bag at Joann’s and cut it up into squares. Haha I’m sure there are a lot easier methods out there, but that’s what I did! :)
Erin Hall {i can craft that}
OK last question promise. How long can you store them for? I want to make them for chirstmas just not sure how far ahead of time I can do this.
thanks!!
Erin
Jenn Klinsky
My church makes soft caramels every year with a similar recipe to this one. We cook ours to 240 degrees on Mondays, then cut, wrap, & pack them on Wednesdays. As long as you leave them refrigerated, they will keep for a long time. I had a box in my fridge for over 2 yrs & they tasted just fine. Don’t let them warm up, get cold, warm up because that will cause the sugar to crystallize and they will become gritty. We make over 1000 lbs every year & store them all in the fridge.
April
Hi There!
Followed you recipe to a T and it’s been 24 hours and mine are still pretty runny. Was I suppose to refrigerate? HELP!
Jenn Klinsky
When our church makes them, we let them cool down for several hours (maybe around 8) before putting them in the refrigerator. We leave them in the fridge until they are ready to be cut & wrapped so that they are firm & easier to handle that way.
vickie
Made these last nite, and they took almost two hours stirring and stirring stirring…. My husband and I took turns stirring and we got them done. They’re on my kitchen table now , and I can’t wait till I cut and wrap them. Pre-taste these are outstanding for flavor.
alexis
Hi there. I made a batch last night as per the instructions today. I heated the caramel to a solid 232 but today after they had completely cooled, they were VERY soft. I threw the whole thing back in a pot and cooked to 250 (firm ball stage). Hopefully they will turn out more firm by tomorrow. The soft ones were delicious, just too soft.