Homemade Soft Caramels are surprisingly easy to make and taste so much better than store bought! A deliciously sweet and creamy bite perfect for the holidays and sharing with friends and family.
Homemade Soft Caramels are delicious no matter the time off year but they are especially great around the holidays. So many possibilities!
Using only pantry ingredients, these are easy to make, awesome to share, and seriously, everybody loves them!
What you’ll need to make Homemade Soft Caramels
- Butter
- Granulated white sugar
- Corn syrup
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla extract
- Flaky Sea Salt or Kosher Salt (if desired)
Do I REALLY Need a Candy Thermometer?
The first time I made homemade caramels I didn’t want to use a candy thermometer. I figured there were enough recipes out there that used times instead of temperatures that there must be something to it. If other people did it then it should work, right?
What I learned (the hard way of course!) was that time can’t guarantee temperature. Medium heat may be a different temperature on a different stove top. There are many other factors that can have an effect on time to temperature like altitude, room temperature, season and even humidity level.
Really, there is no way to know a certain number of minutes is the right amount of time to get to a certain temperature.
Candy thermometers are not expensive. I bought one on Amazon for less than $10 since I found out that when making candy, the temperature really does matter. To make Homemade Soft Caramels, you really do need a candy thermometer!
Quick & Easy Video: Making Homemade Soft Caramels
How to make Homemade Soft Caramels
Homemade Soft Caramels are delicious no matter the time off year but they are especially great around the holidays. So many possibilities!
Generously spray an 9×9 or 9×13 pan with cooking spray and set aside. A smaller pan will create thicker caramels.
If you prefer, line the pan with foil or parchment paper and then spray with cooking spray. This makes them much easier to lift out of the pan to cut later.
In a large heavy saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter.
Over medium heat, melt the butter and stir until the ingredients are completely combined.
Bring the mixture to a bubble and then allow to cook for 4 minutes without stirring.
Over the four minutes the consistency of the mixture will change – getting thicker with bigger bubbles.
Remove from the heat and slowly stir in sweetened condensed milk.
Return the saucepan to the heat and reduce the temperature to medium-low. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the saucepan and stirring often, cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 235 degrees F (soft ball stage). This usually takes between 10 – 25 minutes.… be patient – the results are worth it!
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt or Flaky Sea Salt if desired. This is an amazing addition!
Allow the caramel to cool completely.
Cut the caramel into bite sized pieces. If using foil or parchment, lift the candy out of pan before cutting.
Store, not touching, on waxed paper in layers, or wrap each caramel individually. Enjoy!
Other Sweet Treat Recipes you may like
Caramel Filled Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies – Salty and sweet with a caramel filled center (USE THESE Homemade Soft Caramels in these cookies ~ amazing!)
Rolo Turtles – these little bites of sweet and salty with a pecan half on top are perfection in one bite!
Classic Sponge Toffee – this light and airy vintage crunchy treat is addictive and fun to make!
Christmas Pretzel Candy – the perfect blend of sweet and salty for the holiday season!
Easy Peanut Butter Balls – Decadent and delicious and chocolate covered peanut butter balls.
Homemade Soft Caramels
Equipment
- 1 Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Flaky Sea Salt or Kosher Salt if desired
Instructions
- Generously spray a 9×9 or 9×13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large heavy saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter.
- Over medium heat, melt the butter and stir until the ingredients are completely combined.
- Bring the mixture to a bubble and then allow to cook for 4 minutes without stirring.
- Remove from the heat and slowly stir in sweetened condensed milk.
- Return the saucepan to the heat and reduce the temperature to medium-low. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the saucepan and stirring often, cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 235 degrees F (soft ball stage). This usually takes between 10 – 25 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt or Flaky Sea Salt if desired. Allow the caramel to cool completely.
- Cut the caramel into bite sized pieces. If using foil or parchment, lift the candy out of pan before cutting.
- Store, not touching, on waxed paper in layers, or wrap each caramel individually. Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Annmarie says
I made these but I cooked them too long and they were hard. Then I tried again and paid more attention and they were great and everyone loved them even the hard ones.