If you can stir, you can make Grandma’s Homemade Caramels! These are soft, chewy, and so easy to make. We’ve even included instructions on how to make caramels without a candy thermometer!
Homemade caramels are meant for enjoying in this cold, blustery weather. We’ve always had a soft spot for caramel, even the hard kind wrapped in foil that everyone’s grandparents always seemed to have on hand. While store bought caramels are good in a pinch, nothing is quite as comforting as soft, chewy, homemade caramels.
Some of us were extra lucky and had grandparents who made caramels from scratch! Making caramels today really takes us back to the good old days of spending a day off of school with family, and helping in the kitchen; frilly aprons on, flour and butter everywhere, baking Christmas cookies, homemade fudge, and especially caramels. If you’ve never experienced homemade caramels, this is a must make recipe for you. Trust us, your life will never be the same.
Candy Thermometer: Optional?
Don’t have a candy thermometer? Our grandparents didn’t either! You can determine if your caramel is ready the old fashioned way. Fill a drinking glass or bowl with cold water. Add in just a drop of the caramel from the pan on the stove. For the soft-ball stage, the caramel should form a small round ball in the cold water. When it is removed from the water, the caramel should flatten.
Do I have to use corn syrup in caramels?
Corn syrup is an invert sugar. Invert sugars inhibit the formation of crystals giving you smooth and creamy caramels every time. If you don’t have corn syrup or don’t want to use corn syrup, you can always make your own homemade invert sugar using sugar, water, and an acid (usually cream of tartar or citric acid). If you need to replace the corn syrup in this recipe, you’ll want to use another invert sugar that will also prevent crystalization, including:
- Honey (will impact flavor and won’t prevent crystalization as well)
- Golden Syrup
- Brown Rice Syrup
- Homemade Corn Syrup Substitute
Storage Instructions:
Once your caramels are wrapped in wax paper, they should last approximately 2 weeks at room temperature if stored in a ziptop bag or airtight canister. If you made a large batch, store wrapped caramels in a freezer safe bag to freeze for up to 6 months. Allow time to thaw completely before eating.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious holiday dessert recipes:
- Luscious Lemon Bars
- Homemade Gumdrops
- Easy 5 Minute Peanut Butter Fudge
- Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
2 questions can I use brown sugar substitute also do u use light brown or dark brown sugar
You can use sugar or brown sugar (light or dark), but sugar is required to make caramel, since caramel is melted sugar. Technically, brown sugar makes it a butterscotch. The photos and recipe were developed with a light brown sugar. A dark brown sugar will give you more of that butterscotch flavor that the molasses brings to the sugar.
Is it possible to make this into a chocolate caramel? and if so, how would I do that?
That sounds delicious! It’s not something we’ve tried, but I bet if you added chocolate chips after it’s been removed from the heat and cooled slightly, they could melt right in. We haven’t tested it ourselves, but if you do, let us know how it turns out!
Carmel apple’s any time of the year hooray
Can’t be sad about that right? Enjoy!
Is the brown sugar “packed” or “loose”
Brown sugar is always measured by packing it tightly.
This is my exact same recipe, but I do them in microwave! Mix in bowl, microwave 8 minutes covered with plastic wrap, take out mix well and cook 6-8 more minutes uncovered. Pour in buttered pan. Remember microwaves vary. So might take some practice, lol
Excellent tip! Thank you!
I love carmel! This is such a tragedy for me to find out how simple it is to make. O can’t wait to try both recipes! Thanx so much for sharing
Becky S
Could you put some kind of nut in the caramel also.
Absolutely! Adding in some chopped nuts would be fantastic. The amount that you add in is up to you. I would start with 1/4 a cup of chopped nuts and then increase it to the amount that you prefer. Enjoy!
Does this say 1 piece has 48 thousand calories?
Great question! In nutrition labeling, 1 kcal (kilocalorie) = 1 Calorie (uppercase C) as commonly used in food measurements. So when the nutrition info says “48 kcal,” it actually means 48 Calories per piece, not 48,000.
The confusion comes from scientific terminology—technically, 1 kcal = 1,000 small “calories” in physics, but in food labeling, kcal and Calories are used interchangeably. So rest assured, each caramel is 48 Calories, not 48,000!
These caramel candy is delicious. I cooked it to about 243° and it was soft and an easy chew. I put it in the refrigerator for a while before cutting and wrapping and it made it much easier to handle. This will be a regular addition to our candy making.
I’ve made this recipe, it’s outstanding. I did some tweaking and used 2 oz corn syrup and 6 oz of my reduction syrups….one is a spiced apple cider reduction and one is a coffee reduction.
Results are the same even tho not using all corn syrup…delicious and opens up.so many possibilities to make flavored caramels!