Welcome to the world of homemade caramels, where sweet treats come to life in your own kitchen! Whether you're a pro at making desserts or just starting out, this recipe will guide you through the simple process of creating rich, buttery caramels from scratch.
Homemade Caramels Recipe
Step by step, we'll explore how to get that perfect mix of sweetness and chewiness that makes these little bites of joy so special.
Not only will you love making them, but they’re also great for sharing as thoughtful, delicious gifts. Ready to fill your home with the smell of fresh caramel? Let’s get started!
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⭐Why You'll Love This Homemade Caramels Recipe
- Rich Flavor: The combination of coffee, caramel, and toffee creates a rich and indulgent flavor profile that many people find irresistible.
- Homemade: There's something special about homemade treats. Knowing that you've put effort into creating a delicious and decadent treat can bring a sense of satisfaction and pride.
- Gifting Option: Speaking of gifts, homemade coffee caramel toffee can make for a wonderful present. Whether it's for holidays, birthdays, or special occasions, gifting something you've made yourself adds a personal touch that store-bought items often lack.
🧾Homemade Caramels Ingredients
Here is a list of everything you need:
- Butter: Provides a rich and creamy texture to the caramels. Adds a luxurious mouthfeel and enhances the overall flavor with its buttery richness.
- Sugar: Sweetens and caramelizes during the cooking process, giving the caramels their characteristic sweetness and color.
- Cream: Adds moisture, richness, and a smooth consistency to the caramels. It enhances the texture, and creaminess, and helps achieve a soft and chewy caramel.
- Coffee: Infuses the caramels with a distinct coffee flavor and aroma. Adds complexity to the flavor profile, creating a delicious fusion of caramel sweetness with the robust and aromatic notes of coffee.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏻🍳How to Make Homemade Caramels
These step-by-step instructions and photos will help you to visualize how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for a printable version of this recipe.
1. In a saucepan, gently heat the butter until it transforms into a smooth liquid, maintaining a medium temperature.
2. Incorporate sugar into the liquefied butter, stirring consistently until the sugar completely dissolves.
3. Gently stream the cream into the molten sugar blend, maintaining a constant stirring motion.
4. Gradually bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring consistently. Upon reaching a gentle boil, diminish the heat to a medium-low setting.
5. Incorporate the coffee powder into the mixture, and stir continuously.
6. Continue cooking the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until it attains the soft ball stage, typically around 240°F or 116°C on a candy thermometer. This process may span approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Take the saucepan off the heat promptly and pour the caramel swiftly into the pre-lined baking pan with parchment paper. Exercise caution, as the mixture is extremely hot.
8. Let the caramel cool at ambient room temperature until it achieves full firmness, which typically takes approximately 2 hours.
9. After the caramel block has solidified, utilize the parchment paper overhangs to lift it out of the pan, transferring it onto a cutting board.
10. Employ a keen-edged knife to slice the caramel block into petite square pieces.
11. Your homemade caramels are now ready!
💭Tips for Recipe Success
Stir Constantly: Stir the caramel mixture continuously to prevent burning. Use a heat-resistant spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan.
Low and Slow Cooking: Cook the caramel mixture over medium-low heat to avoid scorching. Slow cooking allows the sugars to caramelize evenly.
Add Flavor Gradually: If adding coffee for flavor, incorporate it gradually to control the intensity. Taste the mixture during cooking and adjust if needed.
Prepare the Pan: Line the pan with parchment paper and leave overhangs for easy removal. This makes cutting and serving the caramels much simpler.
Cool Completely: Allow the caramels to cool completely before cutting. This helps in achieving the right texture.
Use a Sharp Knife: When cutting the caramels, use a sharp, well-oiled knife for clean and neat edges.
Patience is Key: Making caramels requires patience. Be attentive during the cooking process, and don't rush the cooling stage.
❓Commonly Asked Questions
Homemade Caramels are made of melted sugar and butter combined with coffee to create a sweet and rich caramel. Nuts, like almonds or walnuts, can be added for extra crunch.
Toffee is typically made by caramelizing sugar and butter, often with added nuts, resulting in hard and crunchy candy, while caramel involves melting sugar and butter with cream or milk, producing a softer and chewier confection.
Your caramel might taste like toffee if it reached a higher cooking temperature, contained a higher ratio of sugar, or had a longer cooking time, influencing the flavor and texture toward that of toffee.
🍮Brownies & Bars Recipes!
- Scotcheroos
- Millionaires Shortbread
- Chocolate Cookie Bars
- Fudgy Brownie Recipe
- Cream Cheese Brownies
🍰More Dessert Recipes!
Here are more of my favorite dessert recipes! Try these:
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Caramels
Ingredients
- 60 g Butter
- 250 g Sugar
- 150 ml Cream
- 1 teaspoon Coffee
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add sugar to the melted butter. Stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved.
- Pour the cream into the melted sugar mixture. Stir continuously.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the coffee powder to the mixture and stir continuously.
- Continue to cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches the soft ball stage (about 240°F or 116°C on a candy thermometer). This might take around 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and quickly pour the hot caramel into the prepared baking pan with parchment paper. Be careful as it's extremely hot.
- Allow the caramels to cool at room temperature until completely set around 2 hours.
- Once set, use the parchment paper overhangs to lift the caramel block out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the caramels into small squares.
- Your homemade caramels are ready to be enjoyed! They also make great gifts.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sandra says
This recipe is super easy, caramels are my childhood favorite sweets, I will definitely use this recipe thanks.