Mocha Caramel is Born

It is that time of year once again. Time to make my caramels once more. Priscilla and I will be continuing our tradition of making our caramels together, but I wanted to try something new as well.

I created a new caramel flavor. Mocha Caramel. I haven’t cut it yet, but I have tasted it. OH YEAH! I like it – A LOT!

Making caramels can be tricky. You have to get each boil to a certain temperature in order for the caramel to set just right. Here in Colorado, that temperature varies depending on the weather. You have to use a candy thermometer, and the temperature, for both boils, needs to be somewhere between 235-240*F. If the temperature isn’t high enough, the caramel won’t set. If it is too high, it will not be soft caramel, but will be more like a hard toffee instead, which is still good, just not what I am striving for when making caramels.

I thought I was at the right temperature when I made it the other day, but when I tried to cut my caramel, it was way too soft and didn’t set. So I scraped the whole batch back into the pot and boiled it again, this time getting the temperature a little higher than I did the other day. After pouring it into the prepared pan, you have to let it set for at least 1 day before cutting it. I felt it today, and stuck a knife in it earlier, and I think it will be fine to cut today.

Jeanne’s Caramel

My basic recipe has only four ingredients; sugar, butter, Karo dark syrup, and heavy whipping cream. I always make a double batch since I make it for Christmas gifts.

4 sticks of butter

4 cups sugar

4 cups Karo dark syrup

4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray and butter rubbed all over.

Combine everything together in a large, heavy pot, using only 1/2 the cream. Bring to a boil of at least 235*F, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the cream at this point, and bring to a boil once again, getting the temperature to somewhere between 235-240*F once more, again stirring constantly.

Once the second boil is complete, carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover with wax paper and let set overnight before cutting.

For my mocha caramel, the basic recipe is the same, but I added 8-10 oz of chocolate and 2 TBSP of espresso powder to the mix, along with the second addition of cream after the first boil.

Oh it just melts in your mouth, literally. This is my first batch of mocha caramel, but it definitely is now on the permanent list, with our plain caramel and our chocolate pecan caramel, another creation of mine. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe, stay sweet and stay well. ‘Til next time.