Reviewed: Oct. 20, 2006

This is the first time I have ever made caramels. I took the advice of one person and made the batch in a 9x13 dish because I prefer them thicker as well. I made the mistake of lining the dish with wax paper and forgot to spray with no-stick cooking spray (OOPS!) After brainstorming the best way to get the caramel unstuck from the wax paper, my idea was to grab the hair dryer! I heated as I pulled the paper, came off perfectly. I started with a slight problem cutting into pieces because my knife would stick to the caramel, but I found the "sawing" with the knife worked like a charm for me. This caramel turned out WONDERFUL!! My family and friends love this, so I am sure I will be making this recipe several more times over the next couple months with the holidays right around the corner! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!

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Stephanie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Keller, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 7, 2006

These are excellent. This is the first caramel recipe I've tried, after buying expensive caramels for years. They take time and cost a bit, but are very worth it. I live near sea level and heating to 250 degrees worked perfectly for me. It does take about an hour to reach temperature, and constant stirring once I passed 200 and had to turn the heat to high (I have an electric stove)to get any further. My first time around I left the heat on med/low and after an hour and a half had only reached 170. next batch I gradually increased, and stirred for near an hour, and after one hour they're perfect. There is a commentary here about how to determine boiling point and adjust the temp accordingly. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!

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kim

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Reviewed: May 11, 2006

This is the first time I have ever made candy. This recipe was very easy. I have a digital thermometer and calibrated it in boiling water just like some of the reviewers suggested. I cooked the first batch that I made to 248 when I thought I smelled a little bit of a scorching smell. I took it off of the burner immediately. The caramels turned out good but had the hard stick-to-your-teeth consistency and taste of a Sugar Daddy Pop with just a very slight hint of bitterness. I took the second batch only to 243 degrees and it turned out perfect ... buttery, silky and melt in your mouth. Things to remember ... Keep your heat low. It takes a long time to get your caramel mixture to the right temperature. If your burner isn't low you will scorch the caramel - it will be bitter. Secondly, if at first you don't succeed try try again. You won't be sorry!!!!

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leanda

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Reviewed: Apr. 15, 2006

Mmmm... so good and so easy!! Maybe I just have bad luck finding a good thermometer, but I always use the cold water test. When I drop the mixture in cold cold water (mixture was actually quite thick), it hardened. Delicious taste! I cut the recipe in half and instead of using all corn syrup, I took the suggestion of another reviewer to use a little honey (1/4 and 1/8 c. corn syrup and 1/8 c. honey). Yum, thanks!

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Jules

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Fremont, California, USA

Living In: San Jose, California, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 3, 2006

Absolutely delicious! I did make a few alterations...I cut the white sugar to one cup & the brown sugar to 1/2 cup & it was still plenty sweet. I can't imagine how intolerably sweet it would have been otherwise. I also used my first batch as a dipping sauce for apples, as well as a syrup for ice cream, so I only boiled it on low for about 30 minutes for just the right thickness. Fantastic recipe!!!

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Julie Slater

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Reviewed: Mar. 23, 2006

I must have made a mistake because my caramels never hardened.

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Aimee

Home Town: Columbia, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 28, 2006

We really enjoyed the caramels. I cut the recipe in half and we had plenty to eat and give away. When we gave them away everyone asked for the recipe. Be a little patient with it to get to the right temp.

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NANCHAD

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Taylorsville, Utah, USA

Living In: Bountiful, Utah, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 12, 2006

Just delicious! Chewy and soft...beautiful. Easy to make, but took about 45 minutes to get to the right temperature....but it was worth it. will definately make these again! Everyone i served them to loved them - they even said they were better than bought caremels.

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Georgie Marler

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Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2006

Delicious! So much better than store-bought! The first time I made these, I cooked the mixture to 250F as directed and after cooling in the pan, they were as hard as a rock. I read over several of the reviews again, and thought I'd give the recipe another shot. This time, I cooked the mixture over low-medium heat and stopped at 238-240F (took about 45 min) and it worked! After cooling, the caramels were nice and firm, but not hard. I lined my glass pan with parchment paper, then lightly sprayed it with cooking spray, and after cooling, they lifted out of the pan easily.

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MNJDUNN92

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Reviewed: Jan. 18, 2006

Amazing! These are, by far, the best caramels I've ever tasted. They took about an hour to make but boy, were they ever worth it. The only thing I'll do differently next time is to let them cook a little longer. My batch turned out a bit soft, even after refrigeration. The taste is perfect, it's just a matter of how soft or hard you like your caramels.

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embalina

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Emmett, Idaho, USA

Living In: Boise, Idaho, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2006

Cooked to 245, it was perfect. I'd probably use a 9X13 pan next time, because I like my caramels cube-shaped. It took about an hour of cooking and stirring in a stainless steel pan to get to that temperature.

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QJ

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Reviewed: Dec. 28, 2005

This recipe turned out disasterous for me. I made a double batch, so I had three pots going (with the help of my mother). By the time our first pot got to 250 (after about 40 mins of cooking), it was a totally burned mess that was inedible. The second pot seemed to get close to 250 and be of the right color, but was too hard to eat. And we just undercooked the third pot, which then turned out too soft. Really not sure what we did wrong, since we are both experienced cooks...

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MeganBT

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Reviewed: Dec. 24, 2005

These are very yummy. My candy thermometer doesn't really work, so we just cooked until it reached the firm ball stage (a drop of the mixture forms a firm but pliable ball when dopped into ice water). It took approx. 30 minutes of cooking and stirring. It is very helpful to make this with someone else, that way there are 2 people to get everything ready and take turns stirring, etc. Don't do what we did and line the pan with foil before pouring the caramel in... it stuck badly to the foil and we almost had a caramel disaster! We had to fill up the sink with hot water and float the pan of caramel in the hot water in order to loosen the foil enough. Then we eneded up losing some of the caramel, because it still stuck to the foil. My fault though! This caramel tastes so good that we couldn't stop eating it! Perfect flavor and texture. ******** Made these again a few weeks later but only had 1/2 cup corn syrup. So I used honey for the rest, and they were absolutely amazing! So much better than before, and I didn't think that was possible! ;) I may try them again sometime with even more honey. The texture is a little softer, but I like that anyways.

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What a Dish!

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2005

These caramels were so soft and chewy, with a make your mouth water flavor. They weren't as smooth as I would have liked, but still really good. I wrapped them up in wax paper and gave them as a gift.

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ROZ21

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Hauptstuhl, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

Living In: Rexburg, Idaho, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 23, 2005

Wow! Soooo good! This is my first attempt at caramel, so I followed others advice and calibrated my thermometer. It was way off! I basically used it as a general guide and kept doing the water test until it was the consistency I liked. I boiled it roughly 20-25 minutes. Well worth the time. I can't wait to share (what's left of) these with my family for Christmas!

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DMARKLE

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Minot, North Dakota, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2005

This is a fabulous recipe. I make a double batch. It does boil up quite a bit. I use a dutch oven, put everything together except for the quart of cream. Start it bubbling, then add the cream little at a time, so it doesn't boil over. After I get all of the cream in there I boil it to 220/224 degrees. DO NOT cook this to 250 or you will end up with Werthers type candy, like I did on the first batch. Not bad, but not chewy. It is easier to make a double batch as long as you plan so it doesn't boil over. This takes me almost an hour to make, it takes some time so put in a video and plan on stirring. You won't want the heat too high or it will pop on your hands. Ouch! It makes a lovely gift.

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Surprising Woman

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Arlington, Texas, USA

Living In: South Weber, Utah, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2005

I'm a caramel addict,always was always will be,Barbara's recipe is full of good stuff and chewy.At first 250 degrees seemed to hard for chewy,my candy thermometer recommends 244-248 degrees.But Barbara's ARE fairly soft enough,so I'm content.I rate all caramels I've ever made a 3-4.

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Candymann

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Reviewed: Dec. 21, 2005

There are a ton of reviews, so I am going to let you know what I found most helpful: cook only to 235F (112C)degrees (I did to 250 on my first batch, they taste great but are very hard, had to put them into the oven to cut them, will probably toss out) Check your thermometer to be sure it is registering the proper temp. STIR CONSTANTLY! Wear long sleeves as it does splatter, a large pan helps with this as well. Very good caramels, thank you so much for this recipe!!!

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JHATTERY

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Reviewed: Nov. 29, 2005

Excellent! All I have is nonstick cookware and it took 1.5 hours to get to the right temperature. I almost gave up! I put melted chocolate on the top and sprinkled with powdered sugar too. Everyone loved them!

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JENZEP

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Reviewed: Nov. 3, 2005

I am amazed... I added a full can of evaporated milk... oops... and these carmels still turned out wonderful!!! Highly recommend something this failproof. Again, plan on spending a long time over the stove and wrapping, but prepare to enjoy the results... even if you DON'T follow the directions exactly! Also, remember to use a plastic knife to cut the carmel... slides right through.

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mommyshan

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