Baked Sunday Mornings: Soft Candy Caramels

Even though I make caramels pretty frequently, I had not tried the recipe for Soft Candy Caramels in Baked Explorations until it came up on the schedule for Baked Sunday Mornings; since I found a go-to recipe for salted caramels a few years ago that comes out perfectly every time, I've never had the reason to try another one.

This recipe is exactly the same as the caramel component of the Caramel Coconut Cluster Bars in Baked Elements, except that it also includes salt. So I should not have been surprised that I had the same problem I had when I made the caramel coconut cluster bars; it seemed to take forever to get my caramel up to 245-250 degrees at the end. It stalled out around 225 degrees and when I finally got tired of waiting and raised the heat, the caramel became quite foamy and it boiled over (I was using a large, heavy pot, but I was also making a batch and a half of the recipe, so I had quite a bit of liquid). I was trapped a horrible cycle of raising and lowering the stove heat as I tried to get the caramel temperature to increase without having another boil over. The caramel finally reached the correct temperature, but it took about an hour of cooking after I added the cream and condensed milk.

I poured the caramel into a parchment-lined pan (I used a 9-inch by 13-inch pan since I was making a batch and a half of the recipe) and sprinkled a bit of extra fleur de sel on top. After letting the caramels set overnight, I sliced them into one-inch squares and wrapped them in wax paper. The caramels held their shape well and true to their name, they had a very smooth, soft texture that is less chewy than other caramels I've made. These rich, buttery bites are decadent little treats!

Recipe: "Soft Candy Caramels" from Baked Explorations, Classic American Desserts Reinvented, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Recipe available here at Baked Sunday Mornings.

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Comments

They really are decadent aren't they!!! I loved them. And I too had a hard time getting them back up to temperature. Not really sure how to fix that.
Anonymous said…
I cranked up the flame to get mine up to temp and ended up with a hard-ish product, but oh well! I would definitely try them again. Thankfully I halved the recipe... ;)
Kris' Kitchen said…
Not a good food to have for a boil-over! I hate that kind of mess...takes some of the joy out of the end result...but, you kept on and your caramels are beautiful. It took quite awhile for my mixture, which I doubled, to get to temperature, but it is worth the wait. Good reminder to stay close to the pot when making candies. Enjoyed your post.
Sheri said…
This is one of my favorite recipes out of Explorations, and I can't believe I waited so long to make them!

I'm bookmarking your other recipe for caramels - they're so pretty! I've made the Alton Brown caramels and they turned out great.
Susan said…
You have far more patience than us! We stalled at 225, too, but gave up after 25 minutes. Our caramels are delicious, but too soft. I'm going to try the other recipe you recommended because I love that it has honey and less corn syrup.

Your caramels look just perfect!
erinstar41 said…
Decadent indeed! I have a go to caramel recipe so I hadn't tried these yet either. Love them, yours look great!
Chelly said…
They look good! I can't wait to make these!
Unknown said…
They look amazing! Good work!
Louise said…
I've made the NY Times Carole Bloom recipe several times and it always comes out perfect. Sounds like there's no reason to change. :-)
Anonymous said…
Glad they came out well, despite taking so long to reach the right temperature!
mike509 said…
Same problem with the first go around here - but they look wonderful - not to mention, good!
Louise said…
Where do you get the little candy papers? There are all kinds of great things at the local Mennonite bulk store, but no papers.
@Louise -- the papers are LorAnn Oils twisting wax paper. They come in packs of 100 for $3 at my local cake decorating store (Little Bitts). If you send me your address (to littlebakerbunny at yahoo), I'll send you a pack! The paper is nice and thick and they really make things sooo much easier.
Louise said…
Thanks for the offer, Littlebakerbunny. I may take you up on it. I'm making another trip to the Mennonite bulk store this Monday for something to do with my sister. They have a huge selection of LorAnn Oils and I didn't think to look right there, just at the candy boxes, chocolates, and coatings. There's so much in the store it's overwhelming. I got vegetable glycerine as I'd like to try making taffy, so papers would be perfect.