Agnes Caramel Candy Recipes

AGNES' CARAMEL CANDY

Steps:

• Bring sugar, 1 cup whipping cream, butter, and syrup to a boil. Add 1 cup whipping cream without stopping the boil. Boil to a hard ball stage (thank goodness for candy thermometers). Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Pour into a WELL GREASED pan.
• Note: An 8x8 inch pan is what is normally used.

CARAMEL CANDIES

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, white sugar, butter, corn syrup, cream, milk and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, to 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball. Pour into an 8x8 inch pan. Let cool before cutting.

CLASSIC CARAMEL CANDIES

Steps:

• Lightly brush bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides; lightly brush parchment with oil.
• Bring cream, sugar, butter, and corn syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until caramel reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes.
• Immediately remove caramel from heat, and stir in salt and vanilla. Pour caramel onto baking sheet, and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
• Lifting by parchment overhang, transfer caramel to a large cutting board. Cut into 3/4-by-1 1/4-inch pieces; wrap each piece in waxed paper or cellophane.

HOMEMADE CARAMEL CANDY

Steps:

• Line the baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough hanging over two opposite sides to easily lift the cooled caramels out of the pan. Liberally grease the parchment with butter or cooking spray.
• Combine the white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream and butter in a 6-quart dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot. Heat over medium heat and stir constantly until all ingredients are melted and blended together.
• Affix a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, roughly 1" above the bottom of the pot. Postion the thermometer so that it's submerged below the surface of the caramels throughout the cooking process. Increase the heat to high and bring the sugar mixture to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low and let the sugar mixture simmer with slow, medium-sized bubbles until the candy thermometer reaches 245-250°F. Stir every 10 minutes. It will take 40-45 minutes to reach the correct temperature. NOTE: watch the thermometer carefully after it reaches 230°F, as the temperature increases pretty quickly after that point.
• Once the mixture hits 245-250°F, immediately remove from heat and pour in 1/2 tsp fine sea salt and the vanilla. The mixture will vigorously bubble (this is the alcohol in the vanilla boiling off). Stir in the vanilla until evenly incorporated, then pour the caramel into the prepared baking dish. Use oven mitts to protect your hands and wrists from any splatter (it's extremely hot!). Allow the caramel to cool at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and then sprinkle half the maldon salt over the caramels.
• Allow the caramels to cool at room temperature or in the fridge until set - at least 2 hours. Once cooled, sprinkle the remaining salt over the caramels. Lift up the caramels by the parchment paper flaps and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the caramels into 1" x 2/3" rectangles with a sharp, non-serrated blade or a bench scraper. Wrap the caramels in 4" x 5" squares of wax paper.
• The caramels are good for 2-3 weeks if stored in an airtight container. I gift these in 1-lb gift boxes in 1.5 dozen increments.

COCONUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Brush an 8-inch baking dish generously with coconut oil or coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of toasted coconut in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.
• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the coconut cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring frequently especially toward the end, until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees and caramel is a light golden brown and thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger and cardamom.
• Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Once the caramel stops bubbling and the surface forms a thin skin, about 3 minutes, sprinkle another 4 tablespoons toasted coconut across the surface. Allow to cool at room temperature and set completely, about 2 hours.
• Run a spatula around the sides of the baking dish, loosen and lift the caramel, and move onto a board or clean surface.
• Slice the caramel into 8 (1-inch-wide) strips, then across into 1/2-inch pieces, so you have about 72 caramels. Roll the sides of each piece in more toasted coconut. Wrap as individual sweets using 4- to 5-inch squares of parchment, wax paper, or cellophane, or use store-bought candy wrappers, twisting the ends to seal. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. Caramels will keep stored at room temp for up to 7 days or frozen after wrapping for up to 1 month.

CARAMEL CANDIES

Steps:

• Grease an 8 by 4-inch (20 by 10 cm) loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling so that the paper comes up all the sides and has about a 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on each side. Grease the parchment paper.
• In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan (the caramel will bubble up quite a bit once it starts cooking, so it's important to have a deep pan) over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt, stirring very gently to combine while trying to avoid getting any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is clear, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Uncover and cook until the sugar has turned light golden and reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until deep golden (340ºF or 170ºC), about 4 to 5 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream and butter (the cream will foam considerably, so be careful pouring it in).
• Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook until the caramel reaches the desired stage, stirring frequently, 4 to 7 minutes. For soft, melt-in-your mouth caramels, cook until 248ºF (120ºC), and for firmer caramels with a bit more chew, cook until 252ºF (122ºC). Stir in the vanilla off the heat. Let the caramel sit for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bubbles subside.
• Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Let the caramel cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
• Using the parchment overhang, lift the caramel out of the pan. Peel away the parchment paper and cut the caramel in half lengthwise, then cut each half into twelve 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, for 24 rectangular pieces. Candies can be left as rectangles, or cut again into squares, for a total of 48 pieces. Individually wrap each caramel in wax paper or cellophane, twisting the ends of the paper closed. The wrapped caramels can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.