Homemade Caramels ~ An Easy and Favorite Holiday Candy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my homemade caramels harden? ›

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

Homemade caramel typically lasts about 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

The best way to cut the caramels is when they are cold from the fridge. Use a super sharp knife, and mark out your cuts before you make them. I find it easiest to cut the whole pan into strips first with vertical cuts, then make the four horizontal cuts.

Swirl, don't stir: While slow, deliberate stirring will help the sugar dissolve evenly, you want to stop stirring once it has fully melted.

For the "dry" caramel method, you simply heat the sugar in an empty pan until melted and caramelized. It's quick and direct, but the risk is that some parts of the sugar melt faster than others, and can burn before the rest had made it even to light amber.

In general the paper sold for home use is too light weight, the grain of the paper isn't made to withstand twisting (it tears), and the wax coating is too light to prevent the moisture from the candy from seaping into the paper and weakening it thus causing it to tear and stick.

Caramel sauce should be stored in a heat-resistant, airtight container such as a jar or a glass microwave-safe bowl with a lid. This sweet sauce can be left out at room temperature for a few days, but because of the dairy incorporated into the sauce, it's best kept refrigerated.

Sugar, water, salt, and milk are the base ingredients for any caramel. Can I substitute milk for heavy cream in caramel? Absolutely! You can use any milk you have at home, whether whole, non-dairy, or evaporated, to make a deliciously creamy caramel sauce.

* Caramel: When stored properly at room temperature and away from the heat and light, caramel candy can last six to nine months -- and even up to a year in some cases.

What's the best way to wrap homemade caramels? ›

Most caramels will need a little time at room temperature in order to cut more easily. Cut in squares and wrap in waxed paper or parchment paper. Wrapped caramels can also be frozen. My mom always said a little goes a long way with caramels, so I love to look for tiny boxes and containers for gift giving.

A heavy-bottomed and thick-sided pan ensures consistent heat throughout the vessel. The heavier base acts as a buffer, mitigating the risks of temperature spikes and the development of hotspots that can cause part of your sugar to burn while the rest is still melting.

Butter the bottoms and sides (get into the corners, too!) of a 9X9-inch square baking pan. (Alternately, you can line with parchment and butter the parchment – this may make it easier to pull the slab of caramels out of the pan after they have cooled in order to cut and wrap them.)

Why do I line with parchment? Because the caramel doesn't stick to it. Wax paper would melt and disintegrate under the high heat. The caramel sticks to foil, even if it is buttered (ask me how I know this …

I dust mine lightly with rice flour before wrapping as that will prevent sticking for a time but if they are left for any extended period they will still stick. If you want to make sure they don't stick you can cut the Reynolds Release foil into squares and use that. It works great for sticky candy.

And after many batches, we settled on our beloved recipe that we still use today after six years. I began by rolling our individual caramels in cellophane (a type of plastic) wrap. Partially I used this material because it's what I was used to, it's what the chocolatier that I studied under had used.