Sea Salt Caramels

Name: Sea Salt Caramels
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 30
Ingredients: 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed; 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for topping; 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar; 1/4 cup light corn syrup; 1/4 cup water

16 Ratings

17 Comments

Prep 25 min
Total 2 hr 30 min
Servings 30

Sweet and salty homemade caramels — easy to make and perfect for a holiday gift! MORE+ LESS-

By Girl Versus Dough

Updated March 7, 2017

Ingredients

cup heavy whipping cream

tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

teaspoon sea salt, plus more for topping

1 1/2

cups granulated sugar

1/4

cup light corn syrup

1/4

cup water

Steps

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1

Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and brush or spray lightly with oil. Set the pan asside, and assemble your ingredients.
2

In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream, butter and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.
3

In a large saucepan over high heat, stir together sugar, corn syrup and water until sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring (you can gently swirl the entire saucepan occasionally to ensure even heating) until mixture turns to a light golden caramel color.
4

Lower heat to a simmer and very carefully pour cream mixture into large saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to a temperature of 250°F, or firm ball stage. A candy thermometer will help you out with this.
5

Pour mixture into baking pan and allow to cool completely, about 2 hours. Half an hour after pouring, sprinkle caramel with more sea salt as desired. Remove caramel from baking pan by lifting the parchment paper and, using a very sharp, warm knife, cut the caramel into 1-inch squares.
6

Wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting two ends to seal.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 90
Calories from Fat: 40

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 4 1/2g; 7%
Saturated Fat 3g 14% Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol: 15mg; 5%
Sodium: 85mg; 3%
Potassium: 10mg; 0%
Total Carbohydrate: 12g; 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 11g
Protein: 0g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 2%; 2%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 0%; 0%
Iron: 0%; 0%

Exchanges:

0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

I don’t know about you, but for me, ‘tis the season when shopping makes me mourn a little bit over my shrinking bank account. Raise your hand if you’d rather not be in the red – and not the jolly kind – once the most wonderful time of the year is over. Yeah, me neither. That’s why I’m going DIY with my gifts this year; and no, I don’t mean making popsicle-stick reindeer ornaments for my friends (though if it involves glitter, I might still do it). I’m planning on making something a little more enjoyable, like these yummy Sea Salt Caramels. These candies are so easy to make it’ll blow your holly-jolly self away, and the only bling you’ll have to give up is the glitter on those reindeer ornaments. Here’s how to do it. First, assemble your ingredients. When the caramel’s heating, you won’t be able to leave the stove, so get everything measured and set aside ahead of time. Heat your heavy cream, butter and salt in a saucepan and set aside. In a separate, larger saucepan, heat the remaining ingredients. Now you’re making caramel! Don’t freak out. Just follow the instructions very carefully, and for the love of St. Nick, don’t stir the sauce. Just gently swirl the saucepan itself occasionally to conduct even heating. Once you get that classic caramel color, carefully pour in the cream mixture and heat to the firm ball stage. A candy thermometer will help you out with this. Pour the sauce into a lined baking sheet, sprinkle with more salt and cool completely. Then, cut the caramel into bite-sized pieces and wrap in wax paper so they’re all fancy-like. There you have it. A delicious DIY gift that you and your friends (and your bank account) will love.