Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (2024)

Home » DESSERT » Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe

Published on

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 asoft, flexibleball. If you remove theballfrom 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.

Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (5)

Salted Chewy Caramels

Salted Chewy Caramels are easy to make little bites of sweet vanilla comfort. Buttery and soft – great for wrapping individually or using in recipes!

3.77 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time :5 minutes minutes

Cook Time :20 minutes minutes

Total Time :25 minutes minutes

Servings :24

Calories :240

Course :Dessert

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.

Chef Tips

Chilling the caramel will make it easier to cut. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, remove the caramel using parchment handles. Use a sharp knife to cut into pieces.

If using this caramel for another recipe, omit the final sea salt step.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts

Salted Chewy Caramels

Serving Size

1 piece

Amount per Serving

Calories

240

% Daily Value*

Fat

9.14

g

14

%

Saturated Fat

5.77

g

36

%

Cholesterol

25.96

mg

9

%

Sodium

200.04

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

40.18

g

13

%

Sugar

39.95

g

44

%

Protein

1.41

g

3

%

Vitamin A

280.52

IU

6

%

Vitamin C

0.43

mg

1

%

Calcium

68.2

mg

7

%

Iron

0.18

mg

1

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.

One Comment

  1. Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (7)

    denmom

    February 24, 2020 at 3:05 PM

    Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (8)
    Who can resist salted caramels. It’s my favorite recipe!

Leave a Comment

Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (9)

Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (10)

I’m Christine, and I’m glad you’re here! Must Love Home is a food blog where you’ll find easy, family recipes with lots of flavor that even the beginner home cook can make. All are simple and most call for less than 10 ingredients Learn more…

Easy Salted Chewy Caramels Recipe – Must Love Home (2024)

FAQs

Why are my caramels too hard? ›

Your caramel is too hard

It is likely that you took the mixture past the 240° / 120°c stage, which is called the firm ball stage in candy making. You want to make sure that you very carefully measure the temperature of your caramel when you are cooking it.

What is chewy caramel made of? ›

The ingredients for these caramels are very simple. Butter, sugar, karo syrup, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract. However, the key to creating magic–that amazing rich caramel taste and texture–is in the cooking process.

How do you keep caramel from hardening? ›

**Use Corn Syrup:** One way to help prevent crystallization is to use corn syrup in your caramel recipe. Corn syrup contains glucose, which interferes with sugar crystal formation and helps keep the caramel smooth.

How do you make Ina Garten caramel? ›

Directions
  1. Mix the water and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Do not stir. ...
  2. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours.

What makes caramel soft vs hard? ›

Heat until the syrup reaches 240 to 245 degrees Fahrenheit. The lower the temperature, the softer the resulting caramels will be.

Why didn't my homemade caramels harden? ›

If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough.

What is the difference between caramel and Carmel candy? ›

Generally, “caramel” is defined as a chewy, light-brown candy made from butter, sugar, and milk or cream. For example: I love eating caramels because they are soft and chewy. In contrast, “Carmel,” is used as a proper noun, and it is a popular beach town in California, known as Carmel-by-the-Sea.

What is the difference between salted caramel and caramel? ›

Salted caramel is often used as a topping for desserts or as a filling for candies and chocolates. In summary, the main difference between caramel and salted caramel is the presence of salt in the latter. Caramel is sweet and has a rich, buttery flavor, while salted caramel has a slightly savory edge to its sweetness.

What is hard caramel called? ›

Toffee is a hard candy that combines the classic cooked sugar sweetness of caramel with the richness of butter. Technically, toffee is butterscotch—a combination of butter and sugar—cooked to what's known as the hard-crack stage in confectionery: over 300 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer.

Why do you put vinegar in caramel? ›

Add acid. Acid ingredients (like vinegar or lemon juice) can help prevent re-crystallization which causes caramel to become grainy. Acid physically breaks the bonds between the glucose and fructose molecules that form sucrose and ensure that it stays apart.

What thickens homemade caramel? ›

To thicken a caramel sauce, use one tablespoon of cornstarch or tapioca starch (sometimes known as tapioca flour) and one tablespoon of water per cup of caramel. Then simmer the caramel, stirring it constantly with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick.

How do you firm up caramel? ›

For each cup (240 mL) of caramel sauce that you need to thicken, run 1 tbsp (14.7 mL) of cold water into a measuring cup, and slowly stir in 1 tbsp of cornstarch. Pour the cornstarch mixture into your pot caramel sauce, and stir constantly. Keep the sauce on low heat until it begins to thicken.

Which method is quickest in caramel making? ›

Dry caramel is quicker to make than wet caramel, but it's also trickier: Without additional liquid, the sugar can caramelize very quickly, burning before you realize it. Using moderate heat, as Mel suggests, can help safeguard against burning, as can vigilance: Don't walk away from the pan once you've started.

What are the two methods for making caramel? ›

There are two basic methods of making caramel – wet and dry; the basic difference between the two methods being water. Essentially both methods are heating sugar, then adding fat (butter and cream, typically); but the wet uses water to dissolve the sugar faster.

How do you loosen caramel? ›

Caramel is a deliciously sweet sauce that can turn up the volume on any dessert it's added to. But if you're hoping to drizzle caramel over vanilla ice cream or getting ready to dip apples for a fall celebration, you need a sauce that's not too thick. To thin caramel, just add some cream or water over heat.

Why did my caramel harden when I added cream? ›

If too many bits of sugar get stuck to the side of the pan, they will harden and can cause the caramel to seize or become gritty or grainy when you add in the butter and/or the cream. Prevent this by gently swirling the sugar around as it melts, while holding the pan's handle, instead of using a utensil to stir it.

How do you soften a block of caramel? ›

Microwave: Add caramel to a microwave safe bowl & melt the caramel on high for approximately one minute (60 seconds). Stir to make sure that the heat is evenly distributed then put the bowl back in the microwave on 50% power for another minute.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Golda Nolan II

Last Updated:

Views: 5817

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Golda Nolan II

Birthday: 1998-05-14

Address: Suite 369 9754 Roberts Pines, West Benitaburgh, NM 69180-7958

Phone: +522993866487

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Shopping, Quilting, Cooking, Homebrewing, Leather crafting, Pet

Introduction: My name is Golda Nolan II, I am a thoughtful, clever, cute, jolly, brave, powerful, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.