Soft & Chewy Caramels

Let’s talk caramels. The candy kind. The chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, deeply sweet, and insanely addictive kind. These make some of the best gifts ever, whether the event is Christmas, a birthday, a thank you for a favor, or a thoughtful hostess gift. Or no reason at all.

You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry, and if you haven’t made caramels recently, you probably don’t know how easy they can be. Grab a bag of sugar and your candy thermometer, folks! We’re making chewy caramel candies today.

I prefer a two-step approach to making caramels. First you cook the sugar syrup, and then you stir in the cream and melted butter. I’ve seen (and tried) some recipes that have you cook everything together, but I feel that the two-step process gives more reliable results.

Look at enough caramel recipes, and you’ll notice that there is a huge range of temperatures for cooking that initial sugar syrup, from 250°F (hardball stage) to 320°F (hard crack stage).

I spoke with pastry chef extraordinaire Stella Parks of BraveTart and she confirmed my suspicion: since we’re not usually cooking the syrup until it literally caramelizes (which happens at 330°F), any sugar syrup within this temperature range will make caramels.

Stella also mentioned that she feels that the amount of cream (or other dairy) used in the recipe has more affect on the texture of the caramels than the temperature of the sugar syrup. After comparing two different caramels made with different amounts of cream, I have to agree.

The recipe below makes chewy caramels that are on the firmer side. For caramels that are more taffy-like, try increasing the amount of cream by 1/4 – 1/2 cup. (Eventually, though, you’ll make a caramel sauce that won’t set into candies if you continue adding cream.)

Making caramels for the first time can feel pretty darn intimidating. Here’s my advice:

• Read through the entire recipe before starting. Before you begin, make sure to have all your ingredients measured out and read through all the recipe steps. The process is straightforward but you’ll have to monitor the temperature closely and work quickly.
• Make sure you have all the right equipment. You’ll need a 2-quart saucepan and a 4-quart saucepan. The 4-quart saucepan is necessary because the sugar will bubble up and triple in size when you add the cream.
• Use heavy cream. Heavy cream contains 38 percent fat, which gives the caramels the perfect texture. Higher-fat creams like heavy cream are also more resistant to curdling when cooking.
• Use light corn syrup. When shopping, look for light corn syrup in the baking aisle. Light corn syrup is easier to gauge the color of the sugar syrup when it’s boiling.
• Use a reliable cooking thermometer. Monitoring the temperature of the sugar syrup is key to making caramel candies. A candy thermometer is an essential tool that allows you to keep a close eye on the temperature as it rises.
• Don’t walk away. Don’t answer the phone or check emails while you’re making the caramels — the temperature can creep along slowly and then suddenly shoot up. But if you’re paying attention, then nothing will surprise you.

Now, the second time you make caramel candies, you’ll be an old pro. In fact, this caramel-making knowledge can be a bit dangerous. The ability to whip up a batch of caramels on a whim is a power that should not be taken lightly, after all. Just promise me you’ll use your power for good.

• Softer Caramels: The softness of the caramels is mainly a result of the cream. This recipe makes fairly firm, chewy caramels. For softer, taffy-like caramels, experiment with adding an extra 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of cream to this recipe.
• Salted Caramels: Add two teaspoons of salt to the cream mixture at the beginning of the recipe and sprinkle the finished caramels with coarse sea salt.
• Gingerbread Caramels: Add 2 tablespoons of molasses to the sugar mixture. Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves along with the vanilla at the very end of cooking.
• Chocolate Caramels: Increase the amount of cream to 1 1/2 cups. Melt 10 ounces of good chocolate into the cream mixture along with the butter.