Soft Caramel Candy

Working with sugar is simply a matter of preparation, focus, and instinct. Each time I’ve attempted to rush my caramel-making, I’ve found myself frustrated by either a runny or burnt caramel, or a runny caramel and a burnt me. We want none of that here.

These caramels are my candy pride and joy. For me the “perfect” caramel is one that is not runny, yet one that isn’t too hard. A buttery flavor is a must and it can’t be grainy in the slightest. This recipe covers all of those bases, so you can see why I share it with pleasure.

Because I’ve already beat myself over the head with candy-making frustration, I expect this recipe to be a walk in the candyland park for you. I’m going to equip you with the correct techniques and cues to ensure your candy-making is pleasurable and fun. Key tools to have on hand, visual alerts to pay attention to and things to avoid are all here.

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL CANDY

Caramel is not a recipe one should approach without preparation. Everything, from the weather to the pot you use, plays a role in how successful you are at making caramel candy. Most importantly, you relax. Rushing through making caramel candies is an exercise in frustration.

Back when I was just a wee culinary student, I had a classical pastries instructor, Chef Bandula, who was a Certified Master Pastry Chef. Basically, he was in the upper echelon of pastry chefs in the world and I was lucky enough to be his student.

The one piece of advice he gave me which I still carry to this day is: “If you don’t relax while you’re making caramel, you’re going to fail every time.” It’s advice that transcends the pastry shop.

• Don’t include the kids: While I’m generally a big believer of kids in the kitchen, that’s not the case when it comes to the caramel. Sugar burns are terribly painful and not worth the risk. When it comes to wrapping the candy then it’s all hands on deck.
• Dry days are best. Avoid making caramel on extremely humid or rainy days because, as sugar cools, it evaporates moisture, once it’s finished doing so, it’ll turn right back around and start absorbing it again.
• Use a large pot: A larger pot is necessary is for safety’s sake. Once the cream and butter mixture is added to the boiling sugar the mixture will steam and bubble violently. A larger pot will decrease the risk of over-flowing the sugar in pot and burning you.

• Use a wooden spoon: A wooden spoon is the best tool to use when stirring in the cream. It won’t conduct the heat of the sugar and burn your hand. Also, never put your face or arm directly over the pot.
• Use corn syrup. Making caramel is all about chemistry. Two molecules of simple sugar are formed from a molecule of sucrose and a molecule of water. Invert sugar, such as corn syrup (also known as glucose) facilitates the formation of simple sugar, which also prevents our finished candies from becoming grainy after they set.
• Don’t seed the sugar: One tiny grain of sugar reintroduced to the boiling sugar mixture can re-crystallize or “seed” the entire batch. There’s nothing more disappointing than watching your pot of liquid sugar frost over like a winter’s pond.
  • To avoid seeding use one of these two methods:
    • Press a wet pastry brush against the side of the pot and allow the water to wash away the crystals.
    • Cover the pot with a lid. The steam created as the water in the pot evaporates is usually enough to dissolve any rogue crystals.

• Stay put: Don’t walk away or busy yourself with anything else. Sugar cooks quickly at this point and can go from perfect to smoking in a matter of minutes.

CANDY MAKING: SOFT-BALL STAGE VS. HARD-BALL STAGE

If you plan to do any amount of candy-making, investing in a reliable candy thermometer is advised. The candy thermometer you select should be marked at 2-degree intervals because that’s the degree of separation between “caramel” and “burnt.”

• Thread stage: Sugar begins to hold its shape at 215°F (102°C)
• Soft-Ball stage: 240°F (115°C)
• Firm-Ball stage: 241-249°F (115-118°C)
• Hard-Ball stage: 250-260°F (122-127°C)
• Caramel stage: at 320°F (160°C) (Any hotter, the sugar will eventually explode.)

For light colored and delicate, mellow caramel flavor, cook the sugar to 300°F.

For darker more robust caramels, cook the sugar to 350°F.

FLAVOR VARIATIONS FOR HOMEMADE CARAMEL CANDY

Let your imagination be your guide when it comes to flavoring caramel candies. You can use extracts, flavor the cream, use liqueurs or simply finish them with salt.

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Extracts: Replace the vanilla in this recipe with any of the extracts below.

• Maple
• Run
• Cinnamon
• Coconut

Steep: You can flavor the cream by steeping it with leaves or spices before straining it and adding it to the caramel.

• Lavender
• Rose petals
• Tea leaves
• Coffee

Boozy: Add liqueurs to the cream before heating it.

• Grand Marnier
• Bourbon
• Brandy
• Cognac

HELPFUL TIDBITS FOR CUTTING CARAMEL CANDY

Let your caramel cool for at least 3 hours on the countertop. Caramel that’s too soft won’t hold its shape and will only frustrate you in your attempts to wrap it.

• A marble pastry board isn’t essential but if you have one they work great. I find it keeps the caramels cool and they stick less to marble than they do to other surfaces.
• A long, sharp knife is essential to cutting caramels.
• Butter the caramel cutting surface before you get started and butter the knife blade between each cut.
• Use a ruler to guide your sizes when cutting so they fit into the wrappers.
• If, after 3 hours of cooling, your caramel is too soft to cut, it may be the result of too much humidity in the air or not having cooked it to the proper temperature. Just repurpose it and use it as a caramel sauce.
• If the caramel is too hard, it was cooked to too high a temperature during the final boil. You can melt it over a double-boiled or in hot milk to make a caramel drink or sauce.

HOW TO WRAP HOMEMADE CARAMEL CANDY

Wrapping the candies is fairly simple once you’ve gotten the hang of the twist. Use pre-cut squares that are labeled “twisting wax paper.” These hold the twist in the paper without the need for twist ties or ribbon.

Place the caramel in the middle of the long side of the wrapper and roll it up. Hold the candy and use the fleshy part of your thumb to hold one end of the wrapper while you twist with the other hand. Repeat this process on the other loose end.

HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE CARAMEL

I store my wrapped caramel candies in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (or a lid that clamps). If you have any of those silica packets (they usually come in packages of jerky or nori or in shoe boxes), throw one of those into the jar as well. The air-tight, moisture-free environment will prevent the candies from growing too soft or too hard.

Store the jar in a cool, dark pantry for 3 weeks at room temperature.

HOW TO FREEZE SOFT CARAMEL CANDY

To freeze the wrapped caramel candies, just transfer them to a freezer storage bag and keep them in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

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