• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pudge Factor

A food blog with everyday recipes, step-by-step directions and photos, and detailed recipes.

  • Home
  • Meet Chula and Pudge Factor®
  • Recipes by Category
  • Just Recipes
Home » Candy » Homemade Buttery Caramels

Homemade Buttery Caramels

By Chula King · November 28, 2016 · Updated December 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
It's that time of year again, when I swing into action to produce Christmas goodies to give as gifts. These Homemade Buttery Caramels are at top of my list. If you think that caramels are difficult to make, think again. They're actually pretty easy, albeit time-consuming. Once you've tasted homemade caramels, you'll never go back to the store-bought kind.

Homemade Buttery Caramels are the perfect combination of soft, chewey, and buttery. Once you’ve tasted these homemade caramels, you’ll never go back to the store-bought kind again.

Homemade Buttery Caramels

With Thanksgiving is behind us, I’m focusing my attention on making Christmas goodies to give as gifts. I’ve made my list, and put these Homemade Buttery Caramels at top. If you think that caramels are difficult to make, think again. They’re actually pretty easy to make, albeit time-consuming.

The first time I made caramels, I spent a fair amount of time looking at different recipes. I was surprised at the variation in temperature from one recipe to the next. At the low end, the recommended temperature was 236° F; at the high end, it was 250° F. Most of the recipes recommended a cooked temperature of around 245° F, which is what I ultimately settled on. The pan size into which I poured the cooked caramel was another variation, ranging from 12 x 15-inches to 8-inches square. I opted for a 10 x 13-inch pan which I lined with parchment paper.

Ingredients 

I used the following ingredients for these delectable caramels: Granulate sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream, evaporated milk, corn syrup, butter, and a vanilla bean. If you’re concerned about corn syrup, read my explanation here.

Ingredients

Making the Caramels

As a first step, I placed all of the caramel ingredients except for the vanilla bean into a Dutch oven, and fitted the pan with my digital thermometer. Next, I heated the ingredients over a medium heat to melt everything.

Ingredients in Dutch oven

Once everything was melted, I cooked the caramel over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reached 245° F and was a beautiful golden brown .

Cooking Caramel

When it reached 245° F, I removed the mixture from the heat, and added scraped seeds from the vanilla bean. I stirred to combine everything, and poured the caramel into the parchment lined pan.

Caramel in parchment lined pan

I let the caramel cool overnight before attempting to cut it into pieces. The next day, I removed the caramel from the pan, and used a pizza cutter that had been lightly coated with butter to cut it into strips. I tried using kitchen shears to cut the caramel into individual pieces, but decided that the pizza cutter actually worked better.

Cutting Caramels

Once it was cut, I wrapped each individual caramel in a piece of parchment paper, cut to 3½ x 5-inches. I did manage to sample a piece or two. Oh my gosh, these are absolutely delicious. They are soft and buttery, with the perfect amount chew. Yum!

Homemade Buttery Caramels

If you’re looking for some more Christmas treats, check out my Festive Homemade Treats Guide or Ultimate Easy Holiday Edible Gift Guide.

I hope you liked this recipe for Homemade Buttery Caramels as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, ever your email address in the Subscribe box.

Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

Homemade Buttery Caramels - the perfect combination of soft, chewey, and buttery.

Homemade Buttery Caramels

5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Author: Chula King

Ingredients

  • 2 cups 14 ounces granulated sugar
  • 1 cup 7.5 ounces packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1 whole vanilla bean or 1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Line a 10 x 13-inch pan with sides with parchment paper. Set aside. (Note: may use a pan as small as 9 x 9-inches for a thicker caramel).
  • In a large, heavy pan, combine all ingredients except for the vanilla. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 245° F, about one hour.
  • Remove from heat and add the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean, or the vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared pan and let cool completely.
  • When cooled completely, lift the caramel out of pan, and cut into small pieces. Wrap caramel in parchment paper or waxed paper, and store in an airtight container. Yield: 12-dozen pieces.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.
It's that time of year again, when I swing into action to produce Christmas goodies to give as gifts. These Homemade Buttery Caramels are at top of my list. If you think that caramels are difficult to make, think again. They're actually pretty easy, albeit time-consuming. Once you've tasted homemade caramels, you'll never go back to the store-bought kind.

Related

Filed Under: Candy, Christmas, Edible Gifts

Previous Post: « Holiday Glazed Turkey Meatballs
Next Post: Southern Candied Pecans »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Pudge Factor®!

I'm Chula King, the food blogger, award-winning photographer, and videographer behind Pudge Factor. Pudge Factor features amazing and well-tested recipes from my every day cooking. These recipes run the gamut from simple to sophisticated and everything in between. I not only present awesome recipes with tips and tricks that I've learned through the years, but also process photos from start to finish. For some of the recipes, I include videos detailing the actual making of the dish. Read More…

Sites Featured In

Subscribe to Pudge Factor By Entering Your Email Address

Categories

Amazing Treats and Dishes for Mardi Gras

Lemon Bliss Mardi Gras Cake

Mardi Gras Lemon Bliss Bundt Cake

Mardi Gras Snack Mix

Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Boursin Grits

Creamy Cajun Shrimp and Boursin Grits

New Orleans Pralines

Layered Shrimp Cocktail Spread

Layered Shrimp Cocktail Spread

Mardi Gras Swirled Lemon Bark (With Video)

More Posts from this Category

Most Popular Posts

Make Your Own Espresso Powder
Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancakes)
Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sausage & Cheese Crescent Ring (With Video)
Homemade Hamburger Buns (Bread Machine)
Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce

Footer

© 2012–2021 · Pudge Factor®, LLC · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer