Reviewed: Nov. 19, 2007

If you try this caramels, you'll fall in love with them!! i'm sure you will not look for another recipe. They taste like a famous brand (and quite expensive!!) of caramels i used to buy, no one would notice the difference. I'm planning to give them as Xmas gifts to my loved ones, but first of all I have to keep my mom away from them, lol, who can resist homemade sweets??? I didn't use any thermometer, so i waited until the mixture was kind of thick and reached the hard ball stage. My caramels were pretty soft the next day, so i put the mixture back into the pot and cooked until they were thicker. Perfect!! thank you for this recipe, seriously this is one of the best recipes i got from this site!! ;)

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lorena

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Vigo, Galicia, Spain

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Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2007

Great taste! So much better than the store bought kind.

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Rachael

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Syracuse, New York, USA

Living In: Manlius, New York, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2007

This is a great recipe. I always get loads of compliments when I make them.

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EILEEN64C

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Reviewed: Oct. 23, 2007

Great recipe. It has become an expected gift at Christmas time. It also made osm ebig bucks as an auction item. Instead of getting greasy, try lining your pan wiht parchment paper. You won't get nice corners, but there is no greasy mess and it lifts out of the pan perfectly! (one less dish to clean!)

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Wendi

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Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2007

I would've given this 5 stars if I didn't have to make changes. I used 2 tsp. vanilla and added 1 tsp. salt to the recipe because I used unsalted butter. Used whipping cream instead of heavy whipping cream because I couldn't find any unexpired cartons at the store. When I made this, I cooked to 250 degrees, poured it into my 11x15 pan and let it set overnight to cool. The next day, it was a gooey mess. Put it back in the pot, melted it and cooked to 260 degrees before pouring it into a 9x13 pan (the other pan made really thin candy). After it cooled it was perfect. I don't know what the problem was with my temperature because I've read some reviewers say they cooked it to 240 degrees. My thermometer is correct; I did the boiling water test to check!

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dnguy55

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Portland, Oregon, USA

Living In: Lafayette, Louisiana, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 27, 2007

Last Christmas when my family got together, we discovered that we all made caramels following this recipe. Funny thing is, everyone's final batch came out slightly different - flavor, texture, and color - we'll blame it on different candy thermometers. Nevertheless, they were all great and none were left by the end of the week. We definitely did NOT wrap the caramels individually - just laid them between layers of waxed paper. Note to self: try adding some salted peanuts next year.

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Juju Bellies

Cooking Level: Professional

Living In: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 15, 2007

My husbands cousin gave some of these to us a few years ago for Christmas and I was in love. I asked him for the recipe and make them every year to give to friends for Cristmas and always get raves on them. I cook them to 240 degrees on med hi heat on a electric stove. I hate cutting wax paper so I went on line this year and found a place in Ohio called Sugarcraft that sales cellophane wrappers I bought the 5x5 squares makes life a whole lot easier. I saw in sombodys review about using a pizza cutter I will have to try that. Thanks Barbara for a great recipe.

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the kid

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Reviewed: Jan. 4, 2007

I loved it! The first time I tried to make these caramels I didn't use a candy thermometer and ended up with some very delicious caramel sauce. The second time I wisely used a candy thermometer. I listed to other reviews and only cooked until about 242 degrees. Turned out perfect!

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BETHWOOD

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Reviewed: Jan. 3, 2007

I used honey and corn syrup as What A Dish! suggested. Accidentally adding the vanilla at the beginning of the process didn't seem to affect the taste negatively. Thanks Barbara; this is a great recipe for rich, buttery caramels that rivals ones found at fancy candy shops!

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cookin'mama

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Living In: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 28, 2006

My most reliable candy recipe and people just love them. Getting to be a real Christmas tradition at my house.

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Momster

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Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2006

Great! The first batch I made was hard almost like toffee, but it tasted great and my kids kept begging me to break off a piece. So I cooked the 2nd batch to 240 degrees and it was perfect.

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mom of 3 girls

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Reviewed: Dec. 19, 2006

are there more stars? creamy buttery rich taste, firm to touch but soft and chewy, tastes like a soft Worther's flavored caramel, but oh so homemade. Used parchment paper to line an 11x14 pan. Used kitchen scissors to cut the caramels and then snipped them off the desired length and that worked like a charm. (also thought about using a pizza cutter which would work well too). These are one of those recipes that you can make to give for someone special on their birthday. Will steal the show of any holiday goodie tray. **Make sure to use medium heat and don't get impatient...these take time to reach 250 but you can't rush it with increasing the heat. Butter at a high temp is sure to burn. stir very frequently after you reach the soft ball stage, as the mixture gets very thick. It stirs like cake batter once you get near the correct 250 temp. Used salted butter, as this adds to the taste, and if you don't have a good quality vanilla, skip it; these can stand on their own. They absolutely melt in your mouth. Thanks so much for this recipe that is unforgettable and sure to be on every holiday tray I make for years to come.

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TUNISIANSWIFE

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: King Ferry, New York, USA

Living In: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 18, 2006

These came out perfect! It was my first try and they were very easy to make. The "hardest" part is the constant stirring so the carmel doesn't burn. I will definetely make these again. (Why wait until the holidays?)

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Cate G.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Longmont, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 14, 2006

Great recipe!!! :)

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Jessa

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: El Paso, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 11, 2006

I have been making this recipe for 3 years now and absolutely love it! The first time I made it, I cooked the mixture for 2 hours, because I was afraid of burning it. I have since learned to put the mixture on the stove at low temp and walk away for about 1/2 hour. Everything is then melted and slightly warm. I then turn up the heat to medium-hot (#7 on my flat top electric stove) and cook away. It takes only about 1/2 hour of my time this way.

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LABAGIT

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Reviewed: Dec. 11, 2006

OMG...these are seriously addicting! I took WhataDish's suggestion to use part honey & used 1/4 cup of honey & 3/4 cup of corn syrup & cooked to just 245 as I didn't want my caramels too hard. I used part of the batch in pecan turtles & then poured the rest into a buttered pyrex baking dish. Had a little problem w/ cutting them. Tried freezing them for 5 minutes as suggested by somebody but the edges were difficult to cut & the center was still a bit gooey. So I cut off the edges (used my pizza cutter) & stuck the center in the fridge for a couple of minutes. I suspect that I probably should have just let them set up at room temp though. I cut mine into really small pieces to make them easy to eat. Love this recipe...thanks Barbara!

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IMVINTAGE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Living In: Keller, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 9, 2006

I have made these 2 years in a row and they have not turned out. They must be cooked at a certain temp for a long period of time....you must have patience.

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Skuubeedoo

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Dec. 9, 2006

This was my first time making caramels and my first time using a candy thermometer. I followed the recipe exactly and these came out great; SUCH wonderful flavor! They could be very addicting. Thank you so much, Barbara!

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