Sea Salt Caramels

I had a ton of beautiful Belgian chocolate leftover from making the Reese's eggs. I also happened to have a some heavy cream so I thought I would try making some (for the first time!) and dip them in the chocolate. The flavor of the caramels is so good I think that the chocolate would only complicate things. I ended up just leaving them as is. I will use the chocolate for some other purpose.

February is the month for candy-making with all of the birthdays and Valentine's Day fast approaching. My dad loves caramel so I wanted to mail him some for his birthday. I made a double batch of these. There is no way for me to adequately communicate to you how good these smell as you're making them. Also, when you're done you have a caramel coated spoon to enjoy as the rest of them cool. I took this recipe from Judicial Peach.

*Notes on temperature: You really need some kind of a candy thermometer to make these properly. The first time I did the batch I didn't get the temperature up high enough and they were really soft and stuck to the wrappers. I read on chowhound that it was possible to reheat them so I did and they came out much chewier and held their shape in a wrapper, so that is possible to do if you come across the same problem.

Homemade sea salt caramels
PREP TIME: Requires a few hours of cooling
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
YIELD: 16 to 20 Caramels

WHAT TO GRAB:
Vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

HOW YOU DO IT:

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly brush the paper with the vegetable oil.

2. In a small pot, bring the cream, butter, and one teaspoon of the sea salt to a simmer, over medium heat. Do not let it boil. Once it has reached a simmer, turn off the heat, and set it aside.

3. In a deep saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar. Over medium-high heat, stir only until the sugar has dissolved. Then allow the mixture to boil, without stirring, until the mixture is a warm, golden brown. Watch very carefully, as the caramel can burn quickly toward the end. (It can be helpful to use a wooden spoon and drip some of the caramel onto a white plate to gauge the exact color).


4. When the sugar mixture is done, remove it from the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful because it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla.


5. Return the mixture to the heat and cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (firm ball), about 10 minutes. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. (Don’t scrape the pot). Refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.


6. Remove the caramel from the refrigerator and allow it to come close to room temperature. Pry the caramel from the pan. On a cutting board, cut the square in half. Using parchment paper, roll each piece of caramel into a tight 8- to 10-inch log. Sprinkle the logs with sea salt. Cut each log into 3/4-inch or 1-inch pieces. Individually wrap each caramel in glassine or parchment paper, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator or in an air-tight container.