Fran’s Salt Caramels. Salt caramel photos by Melody Lan.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE and a dévotée of salt caramels.
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May 2006
Updated March 2009
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The Best Salt Caramels
Page 6: Salt Caramels Recipe
This is Page 6 of a six-part article. Click the black links below to view the other pages.
Salt Caramels Recipe
Most people who try salt caramel become instant fans. There’s enough variety in this article, from subtly salty to lovely lavender to breakfast spread, that we know they’ll make a fan of you. If you need an immediate fix, try this recipe.
Ingredients
 1 cup heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized) - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons sea salt*
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup water
*You can use any sea salt, which is available at fine supermarkets and specialty food stores. If you choose an attractive-grained salt, it will look handsome as a surface decor. Check out our Salt Glossary.
Equipment
- 8” square baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Candy thermometer (or a deep-fat thermometer)
- Wax paper for wrapping or paper candy cups
Yield: About 40 caramels.
Preparation
- Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper.
- Bring the cream, butter and sea salt to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat and set aside.
- Boil the sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan; then cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 248°F, the firm-ball stage.
- Carefully stir in the cream mixture—the mixture will bubble up. Simmer, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. The temperature should not go higher than 250°F.
- CANDYMAKER TIP: To get the caramel consistency you want, test by dropping a spoonful of caramel into a bowl of cold water. It will form a ball, which you can test with your fingers. Stop cooking when the ball is the consistency that you want.
- Pour the mixture into the baking pan and cool 2 hours.
- OPTIONAL: You can enrobe your caramels in tempered melted chocolate; sprinkle the top with some grains of sea salt (pretty salts make a difference); or press in some culinary lavender buds.
- Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, folding ends or twisting to close like taffy.
- ALTERNATIVE: Pour the caramel into individual candy cups, as shown above.
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