A Whole Lot Of Caramels

I am FINALLY done with my caramels for this year! PHEW!!!!! I have been busy working on them since just a few days after I returned home from Canada. I just just finished the last batch a little while ago. This year I made 4 different batches and 4 different flavors. Each batch (double batch, which we make) makes 8 lbs of caramels, so that means I made 32 lbs this year. Every caramel has been hand cut and hand wrapped. This is definitely a labor of love. And silly me, I am already talking about adding another flavor/batch next year too. I guess I will just have to start earlier. 🙂

Priscilla and I made a batch of plain caramels together, just like we’ve been doing for years.

I also made a batch of chocolate pecan,

a batch of this year’s new flavor, Mexican spice, or chocolate and cinnamon,

and a batch of mocha caramels.

Just in case you have ever wondered what 32 lbs of caramels looks like, now you know.

This year, both Priscilla and I had our challenges in getting the temperatures just right, even though we have been making our caramels for years and years. After all these years, we are still trying to perfect the recipe. 🙂 If the caramel does not get hot enough at the boil stages, the caramels will not set, and you have to reboil them again. If the boiling temperature gets too high, the caramels will get too hard, making them difficult to cut. I experienced both issues this year. I would love to say there is a set temperature that we are aiming for, and maybe there is else where, but here in our high and dry altitude, nothing is predictable, and you always have to readjust things as you cook. You have to adjust temperatures and cooking times, and how much of certain ingredients you use, such as flour and baking soda and/or powder, and liquids, and all kinds of other things too. There are specific cookbooks dedicated to high altitude cooking. I even have a few. But with all the challenges I faced, they are now ALL DONE! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!! I am done with caramels until this time next year. 🙂

The basic caramel recipe only requires 4 ingredients. This makes a double batch, or 8 lbs, and fills 1 9×13 baking pan.

4 cups sugar

4 cups Karo dark syrup

1 lb or 4 sticks of butter

4 cups of heavy whipping cream, divided

Put all the ingredients together, except only 2 cups of the cream, into a very large, heavy pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until you reach your first boil, at about 235* F or 113*C, using a candy thermometer. Then add the rest of the cream, and whatever other flavorings you are using and bring the temperature back to the same temperature once again, then immediately pour into a greased baking dish. I usually rub soft butter into my baking dish and spray it with cooking spray. Let the caramels sit overnight at a minimum before you start cutting them. As I mentioned above, you are just going to have to play around with the actual temperatures, and they will vary from place to place, and in different climates. Needless to say, they are very temperamental, but worth all the effort in the end. Everyone who is lucky enough to receive our caramels always rave that they are the best caramels they’ve ever tasted and they just melt in your mouth.

Try your hand at caramel making and let me know your results. 🙂

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