Recipes

[cmoose]

My daughter and I are making caramels for baby shower favors. I have tried 2 recipes both have been touted as tried and true. The first time we tried it took more than 20 minutes for the candy thermometer to get to 248- while the caramels tasted good, they were REALLY hard. Like hard candy. So we tried again- used a different recipe still took a long time- we pulled them off the heat at about 240 (still took over 15 minutes) while these were softer they still aren't that really soft chewy consistency I am looking for. I feel like it is cooking too long. Any tips?

[Nightowlz]

Sorry I'm no help. I have never made caramels. I found this recipe online & have wanted to try it but never have. The pics look like it's really soft caramel. She has a tip listed how to test your thermometer that you may want to do. That's the only thing I can think of is the temp it's at when you remove from the heat. Hope you get it figured out.

My Mom’s Famous Caramels

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ½ cups light corn syrup
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (add only ½ to begin with)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 ½ cups chopped toasted pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 X 13-inch pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium heavy saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk, salt and butter.
3. Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to ensure the sugar is completely melted, bring the mixture to a boil and add the rest of the sweetened condensed milk when it begins to boil.
4. Insert the candy thermometer and clip onto your pan at this point.
5. Once the second half of the condensed milk has been added and the mixture is boiling again, STOP stirring to prevent sugar crystallization (which means the caramels will have a grainy texture).
6. Boil the mixture still at medium-low heat, without stirring until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (234 degrees F).
7. If you like your caramels a bit firmer, you can cook them up to 248 degrees F, which is firm ball stage but I prefer mine really soft.
8. (I will warn you that most people find this stage a bit too soft so use your best judgment and preference).
9. When the caramel reaches the right temperature, immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and toasted pecans (if using).
10. Carefully pour the hot mixture into the prepared pan without scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. Let the caramel cool completely before cutting into squares and wrapping in waxed paper.

A Few Tips:

*I think one of the most common reasons candy-making can cause frustration is because of errors in the candy thermometer you may be using. It is a good idea to calibrate your cooking thermometer before each use – and it is quite easy. Bring a pot of water to a boil. After the water has reached a full rolling boil, insert your candy thermometer into the water, being sure not to let the tip touch the bottom of the pot and inserting the tip at least 2 inches into the water and the temperature on the candy thermometer should read 212 degrees F. If your candy thermometer reads a few degrees higher or lower – no fear! You don’t need to go out and buy a new candy thermometer (although long-term you may consider it), you simply need to adjust cooking temperature of your candy the few degrees your thermometer was off in the boiling water.

*This particular caramel recipe is unusual in that you don’t need to stir after adding the second half of the sweetened condensed milk. This is a bonus because you don’t need to slave away at the stove stirring for hours – but still be careful to check your candy thermometer often to make sure the correct temperature has been reached (and not exceeded!). Also, in order for the caramel not to scorch, remember to cook the caramel over medium-low heat. This requires time and patience because the caramel won’t cook as quickly as at high heat, but trust me, unscorched caramels are worth the wait!

*Finally, when pouring the caramel onto a buttered baking sheet, do not scrape the caramel from the bottom and sides of the pan. Simply turn the pan and let the cooked caramel roll out onto the baking sheet – when it has stopped flowing out, stop pouring and resist the temptation to scrape up the caramel stuck to the sides and bottom. Just walk away. Well, don’t just walk a way, but put the pan in the sink and work on spreading out your caramels. You don’t want the icky stuff left over on the pan. Trust me.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2009/12/sugar-rush-11-my-moms-famous-caramels.html

[10sluvr]

i can't really help, but i look forward to responses.

my husband brought home some homemade caramels, from someone at his office. they were wonderful. soft and sprinkled with sea salt, then wrapped in wax paper. i have looked at many recipes trying to figure out what will work. the cooking, looks to be the hardest part. he is too embarrassed to ask for recipe.

is this the kind you are trying to make? good luck, sounds like a great shower treat.

[ahoymate]

FYI.............candy making is an art. Hard to be good at it on your first few rounds

[gingie08]

I am by no means an expert on this subject but my family LOVES the caramels I make. The recipe I use takes about 45 minutes to reach soft ball stage. First off I have 2 candy thermometers. One lists soft ball temp at 240 and one lists it as 234. I think cooking them to 248 seems way to high. Try your recipe and cook to about 238 degrees F. which is what I do and they are perfectly soft. I think this simple change will make all the difference in the world. Good luck!

[tkins]

I have never made caramels, but I think I can help. I used to make taffy with my grandma all the time when I was growing up and both of the temperatures you have listed are too high for the texture that you want. I have an old candy thermometer and it says the soft ball stage is about 234 degrees and I also have the old (from the 1950's) Better Homes and Garden Cookbook with the recipe and candy test chart, that grandma and I actually used to make the taffy. I don't remember us ever using a candy thermometer, we always used the cold water test and it always turned out perfectly. A few things to keep in mind: Weather temperature and humidity make a difference. Start testing before you think you need to.

Here is the Cold Water Testing Instructions and Temperature Chart.

Cold Water Test: Have ready a small bowl of very cold water (but not ice cold). Remove pan from heat. At once drop a few drops of syrup into water. Form drops into a ball – its firmness indicates the temperature of the syrup.

Thread 230° to 234°

Soft Ball 234° to 238°

Medium Ball 238° to 244°

Firm Ball 244° to 248°

Hard Ball 248° to 254°

Very Hard Ball 254° to 265°

Light Crack 265° to 285°

Hard Crack 290° to 300°

I hope this helps and wish much success.

tkins

[Campion]

I think your thermometer might be out of calibration (my dad was a metrologist --measurement engineer, and he found that many thermometers weren't even close to the temperatures they were supposed to be.) Also the thermometers can get out of whack.

Try buying a new candy thermometer. 20 minutes seems rather long. Soft ball is kind of fast but in any case, it's temperature dependent.

[Snik]

Usually about 3 minutes longer than my arm can stir!

[homedecor1]

I make Ina Gartens salted caramels (they r delicious & soft) I wrap them as singles too in parchment. check out the recipe at foodnetwork.com (Ina Garten) Fleur de Sel Caramels by Ina Garten 248 degrees is the temp

[KYToby]

Unfortunately, there is not a simple answer to the OP's question. Factors such as cookware, quantity of ingredients, amount of liquid, temperature of stove, altitude, and even weather come into play.

The issue could be the candy thermometer, and it can be calibrated as mentioned in a previous post. Remember though that water boils at lower temperatures at higher elevations, so unless one is at sea level, it will be off by a couple of degrees. As another poster mentioned, candy making is an art, Keep trying. It takes practice to get it right.