This is a recipe my Grandma Hatch passed on to me when I got married, she gave me a handmade cookbook with all her favorite recipes and it is one of my most treasured items in my kitchen.
These are my all time favorite candy this time of year, and they are sinfully delicious (and unhealthy, don’t say I didn’t warn you- but if you can’t during the holidays when can you?!?!).
Everyone always loves them and they are always a huge hit! This isn’t a hard recipe to make, but you need to be extra careful when you are boiling the caramel. A few degrees too high and your caramels will be too hard and a few degrees too low and your caramels will be too soft.
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups light Karo syrup
Dash of salt
3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Candy Thermometer Method: Use a large pot to cook this. A good heavy aluminum or iron pan works well. When the sugar mixture starts to boil the mixture doubles in size and you don’t want it to overflow from the pot. Put sugar, Karo syrup, and salt in a pan and cook over medium-high heat until it starts to turn light tan in color. Make sure you are regularly stirring while this boils. This will take 7-8 minutes or so.
Heat heavy cream in the microwave until it is quite warm (about 3 minutes). Add to sugar mixture SLOWLY. Stir with a long-handled spoon and NEVER stop the boiling process. (Be very careful as the steam can really burn your hands). Cook to 243 degrees on a candy thermometer. This will take a while. Make sure you are constantly stirring or the sugar will burn on the bottom of the pan and ruin the entire batch.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and nuts. Pour into a well buttered 8×8 cake tin or a small glass casserole pan. Let cool completely in a cool spot overnight or place in freezer for 30 minutes. Cut into long strips and then into whatever size desired. Wrap individual caramels in waxed paper cut into 3×3 squares. If left in long strips wrap in Saran Wrap and then aluminum foil.
Share and Enjoy!
Your friend,
Natalie
