Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2008

Great recipe! Tips for perfect caramels that my Grandma gave me: After you mix all the ingredients except Vanilla use a cold wet paper towel to wipe down inside of pan up to caramel and throughout cooking make sure you stir gently as not to deposit lots of caramel on the edges of the pan. It only takes a small amount of undissolved sugar to ruin caramels. Also be sure to stir often and rinse and dry your spoon often as this keeps uneven caramel from getting mixed. Definetely cook the caramels to about 250f if you want to wrap them. And add the vanilla AFTER you shut the heat off. ENJOY!

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Coffee Girl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Anchorage, Alaska, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

If I could give it 6 stars I would! I have made this for Christmas gift baskets for 2 years now and everyone loves it!

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amy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 3, 2008

AMAZING! I never liked my old caramel recipe and I'm thrilled I found this one. Delicious buttery caramels. I heated to 250 degrees for a chewy, firm texture that everyone loves.

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BETHBASSETT

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Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2008

This is a great Caramel recipe. After I made it everyone who had some has asked for the recipe. Thanks for sharing.

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JRHANSON_75

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Austin, Minnesota, USA

Living In: Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2008

I recommend cutting down on the brown sugar, it was a bit too sweet, not as mellow. It was a bit too soft for me, but if you use it with apples, the tart of the apple and the caramel are perfect together. I ran out of butter and I used Crisco spray for the cookie sheet, and I cut the recipe in half so I'm wondering if that's the reason why it came out too soft or if I didn't cook it at a high enough temperature. Either way, it's still a great recipe, especially if you love caramel like me! I will definitely make this again

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Gen

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 15, 2008

This is an excellent easy way to make caramel! I put it on top of pretzels and then cover them in chocolate. If your caramel is grainy, there is a good chance water or condensation got into it. Try to cool it in an area with low humidity. If it is too hard, it got too hot. Check your thermometer, and use the soft ball test. It only takes a second to be cooked too long.

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Lizzie G

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Nov. 15, 2008

This was so easy, and so good! I used it as a layer in a Chocolate Caramel cake recipe from the site - much easier than unwrapping tons of caramels and melting!

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Lynn

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: Tacoma, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2008

This is the BEST Caramel recipe- the key to all candy recipes is to check your candy thermometer before each use. How do you do this-place the thermometer in a pan of water and bring to a boil. Check the thermometer and then adjust your cooking temps accourdingly. I have found I have to adjust as much as 10 to 12 degrees as the water is boiling at lower temps. How can this be: water boiling is affected by the amount of sodium in the water(are you using softened water?), the humidity, the altitude.

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Theresa

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Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2008

I make this recipe every year for Christmas. Its in the Red and White Better Homes cookbook. The only difference is that mine calls for 1 tsp of vanilla and you cook till "firm" ball. You really need make sure you cook till firm ball and you need to cook slowly, lots of stirring. My Caramels are always a hit and expected at the holidays.

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Cheesecakemama

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Chillicothe, Ohio, USA

Living In: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2008

These have a great flavor! (I added a little more than a dash of salt for contrast). I cooked these to the hard ball stage like many others reviewers (a lot of stirring, about 20 mins). When cooled the texture is firm to hard, not sticky. As you eat them they soften up and become chewy and yummy!!! Big hit in our family! The Recipe makes a lot so it's great for holidays!

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Lisa D

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2008

One word...AMAZING. I did not change a thing and it was wonderful!

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Yumyum

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Oct. 28, 2008

I loved this recipe. I have never made caramel before and it turned out perfect- it helped to have a candy thermometer. It is a very rich and tasty recipe. I doubled it and used it primarily to make caramel apples. Everyone raved about how yummy the caramel was and the toppings stayed on perfect. I used whatever I had left over to make individual caramels. It is just delicious!

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mudoll

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2008

I'll never buy another bag of caramels again. I cooked the caramel until it reached 250 degrees and used it to dip apples. They turned out wonderful. I had enough caramel to cover 15 apples. You can also make this a day ahead and reheat it with no problem. Next time,I'm making turtles.

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ANGELGIRL94

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Danville, Virginia, USA

Living In: Reidsville, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 24, 2008

This recipe is DIVINE! This was my very first time attempting to make candy of any kind and it was SO easy. I did take the recommendation of others and cooked the mixture until it hit 248 F. This gave the caramel a soft and chewy consistency (but not sticky). It tastes just like the caramels I used to buy in those specialty stores and confectioneries. I omitted the vanilla extract simply because I didn't have any on hand and it did not detract from the delicious taste. I found the best way to cool the caramel was dumping it out on a WELL GREASED cookie sheet that has short sides. I covered with a piece of wax paper and foil and allowed to cool 1 day on the counter. I used a large knife to cut into bite sized pieces. The hardest part was taking the time to wrap each candy because this recipe yields ALOT of caramel. I brought them into my office and no one could believe I made these and they were gobbled up very quickly. Be careful...they are ADDICTING! If you have never made caramel, do not be frightened. This was my first time and I am going to use this recipe for many years to come. Great as a Christmas gift for those who you need to just get "a little something" (teachers, neighbors, co workers, boss) and VERY CHEAP if you consider how much candy this one recipe yields.

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kwasibor

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Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2008

this caramel is absolutely outstanding!!! So many people have told me it is the best caramel they have ever had. I cook it to firm ball stage(248degrees), and use it to make turtles or to cover caramel apples or pretzels. Fantastic!

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JENNIFER_113

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Oct. 12, 2008

this caramel isn't the best. it came out kind of grainy, almost like caramel fudge. I've never had caramel come out like that. I've made caramel several times over and this recipe was kind of disappointing. It served it's purpose but I will stick with my old recipe.

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SASSY43028

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Howard, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 24, 2008

I ended up with caramel that was soft until it set, now it's rock hard. Not very tasty either...

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lilhoot

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Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2008

This was my first time making candy, and it was so much easier than I had expected. I cooked it for 2 min. past softball stage, like the recipe said. It was a little soft, but they are great when kept in the fridge. The taste is awesome. There was hardly any mess, either. I buttered the sides and outside edges of the bottom of the pan, then I placed in parchment paper, leaving hangover to pull it out with. I used a pizza cutter to cut it into strips, then a knife to cut the strips into squares. Very easy, even for a beginner! I will make this recipe again!

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STACY W.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: El Dorado Springs, Missouri, USA

Living In: Lenexa, Kansas, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 15, 2008

I made these for my father on Father's Day and he loved them! These caramels have a wonderful flavor. I didn't have a candy thermometer but tried cooking it to the soft ball stage, but thought it too soft and cooked it a bit longer. I then refrigerated it and it turned out as hard as a piece of Wuthier's candy. I then inverted the pan and pulled out the entire piece of caramel and broke it into smaller pieces using the back of a spoon (be careful as it can shatter into sharp shards)Then, just before eating, I microwaved a piece in the microwave for about 8 seconds - it turned out into a wonderful soft piece of caramel - absolutely delicious. My father liked them just the way they turned out and asked me to cook the next batch to the hard candy stage - So don't despair if you think you've ruined them by overcooking -you just have a different creation.

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Robyn58

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Reviewed: Jun. 30, 2008

I covered the caramels in chocolate. The second time I cooked them exactly like the recipe called for with a thermometer and they were too sticky, they there stuck in my teeth. It is easy to make, but hard to get the right consistancy.

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