Breaking up all the holiday cookie content this time of year to bring you something new to add to your treat boxes! Super simple soft vanilla bean caramels! You won’t believe how easy it is to make soft and chewy caramels at home!
How to Make Soft Caramels
You may remember a few years ago I made spiced cider caramels that were a huge hit! Today we’re taking the same techinique and turning it into vanilla bean caramels! A sort of ‘back to basics’ type of recipe with only a few simple steps and ingredients.
Equipment:
- Thermometer – this is the key to success when making caramels! A good, accurate thermometer is essential to know exactly when our sugar mixture has reached the correct temperature. I use a candy thermometer in my kitchen but an infrared or “laser” one will work just as well. You can easily find either type online for around $10-20.
- Large Sauce Pot – as our sugar mixture cooks it will bubble and foam up rapidly. To prevent any potential spill overs we want to use a large sized sauce pot with tall sides to give the caramel plenty of room to grow. About a 5-6 quart sized pot has worked well for me.
- Parchment paper – because no one wants caramel stuck to their pan! Lining the baking pan with parchment will keep things from getting stuck and make for easy lifting out of the pan once the caramel is set and ready to be cut. A light dusting of cooking spray will also ensure the caramel easily releases from the paper.
- 8×8″ Square Baking Pan – just the right size for the amount of vanilla bean caramels we are making. It also creates the perfect height for the caramels, not to thin and not too tall, but juuust right!
Technique:
Prep:
Begin by lining your baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides, or ideally all 4 sides. Spray the corners of the pan and the parchment paper lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
If using a candy thermometer, secure it along the side of the pot.
Cook:
Add the cream, corn syrup, sugar, and butter to the large sauce pot and place over high heat. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar and evenly combine all ingredients.
Keep a VERY close eye on it while cooking. The mixture will begin to quickly rise in temperature and bubble rapidly. If the caramel is at risk of boiling over, reduce the temperature to medium heat and/or remove the pot from the hot burner for a few seconds while the mixture settles back down.
Continue monitoring the temperature of the caramel until it reaches 248°F. It will begin to darken in color as it cooks. The amount of time it can take to reach the correct temp can vary greatly! So even though it roughly takes me 15-20 minutes to reach this your timing could be more or less.
After 248°F is reached, quickly remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste and salt. Next, carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan. It should still be very liquid at this point but will set up as it cools.
Cool:
The caramel will need ample time to cool down and set up properly. You may begin to see the top of the caramel setting up relatively quickly, but don’t let that trick you. The middle and lower layers will still be very hot and runny. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight before removing from the pan.
Cut:
Remove the caramel from the pan and gently pull back the parchment paper from the sides and bottom. Place onto a large cutting board and use a large sharp chef’s knife to slice the caramels into your desired size.
If you find the caramel a bit too soft to work with place the whole thing in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to firm up. This will make the slicing a bit easier.
Lastly, wrap each caramel individually in squares of wax paper or candy wrappers.
Soft Vanilla Bean Caramels
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 25 min + overnight
- Yield: 64+ individual caramels 1x
Description
A simple and easy recipe for super soft and chewy vanilla bean caramels. A gorgeous golden brown caramel speckled with tiny vanilla bean seeds.
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on at least two opposite sides. Lightly grease the paper.
- Combine cream, corn syrup, sugar and butter in a large deep saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, gently stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 248°F on a thermometer, roughy 15-20 minutes. Mixture will boil and foam up quickly so keep a very close eye on it. The mixture should begin to change to a golden caramel color while it cooks.
- Once the temperature has been reached, remove the pan from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste and salt.
- Pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan and let sit overnight at room temperature. Once cooled, remove the caramel from the pan and cut into desired size squares using a large sharp knife. Wrap each caramel in wax paper or candy wrappers. (To make cutting easier, place the caramel into the fridge for 15-30 min to firm up before cutting.)
Notes
- If you don’t have vanilla bean paste on hand, substitute with 1 tbsp of vanilla extract or scrape the seeds from the inside of 1 vanilla bean pod. You won’t see the dark specks from the seeds if you use the extract only, but the flavor will still be great.
Leave a Reply