Monday, December 19, 2011

Caramels

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I have made these caramels at Christmas time for the last couple of years.  They are sooooooooo good.  My daughter is giving them to her friends for gifts this year.  Enjoy!

Caramels
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1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 can Eagle sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup light Karo syrup

In heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add remaining ingredients and stir constantly until soft ball is formed when tested in water*.  Pour into buttered 9x13 pan, without scraping the bottom and sides of pan, and store in fridge until ready to use.  Cut in squares and wrap in waxed paper.

note: if using a candy thermometer, a soft ball is reached at 234-238 degrees.  The first time I made these, I used a thermometer, but I guess it wasn't calibrated correctly because by the time I reached the right temperature, they were hard as a rock when they cooled off!  I prefer the water method myself. I have found the caramels are usually done about 10 minutes after the mixture starts to bubble.   

*In using the cold water test, use a fresh cupful of cold water for each test.  When testing, pour about 1/2 teaspoon of caramel into the cold water.  Pick the candy up in the fingers and roll into a ball if possible.  For the "soft ball" stage, the candy will roll into a soft ball which quickly loses its shape when removed from the water.

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