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I would like to say that I am not easily swayed by trends. However, my past history, particularly that of my more youthful years, says otherwise. Rainbow jeans, rugby pants, knickers (seriously), anything mauve, jelly shoes, Madonna bracelets, feathered bangs, Duran Duran (the shy Roger Taylor was my favorite)…The 80s was not one of my prouder decades. Whether dancing on the ceiling with Lionel Richie or blasting A-ha’s Take on Me on my Walkman, I was convinced that being like everyone else was where it was at. Now, with many more years of life experience under my belt, I have gained enough wisdom to realize that individuality makes the world a much more interesting place. Despite this realization, I am happy to report that I have fallen headlong into the tantalizing trend of combing caramel and sea salt. After tasting my Pine Nut, Caramel, and Sea Salt Shortbread Bars, I was determined to delve further into the world of sweet and salt. And – oh – what a happy world it is. This recipe is directly from The Kitchn and it is foolproof. I like my caramels rather soft, but if you prefer a chewier caramel, just cook the mixture a little longer and at a slightly higher temperature.
Line the bottom and sides of an 8- x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Brush lightly with canola oil.
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup heavy cream, 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into small pieces), and 2 teaspoons sea salt.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large, heavy saucepan set over medium to medium-high heat, combine 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Once the sugar is dissolved, cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 248 degrees F, gently swirling the saucepan (do not stir).
Continue to simmer, swirling the mixture frequently, for 15-25 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and turns golden brown. While simmering, do not allow the temperature go higher than 250 degrees F.
The original authors offered a very helpful candy-making tip: To determine if the caramel is the consistency you like, drop a small amount of caramel into a bowl of cold water. Test the ball of caramel with your fingers to determine if the consistency is right.
Pour the cooked caramel into the prepared pan. Let the caramel cool for 2 hours.
While the caramel is still slightly warm press some grains of sea salt into the surface. Cut into 1-inch pieces and wrap each into squares of wax paper.
More caramel recipes:
101 Cookbooks’ Espresso Caramels
Not Without Salt’s Bacon Caramels
Baking Obsessions’ Honey & Cardamom Fleur de Sel Caramels
Sea Salt Caramels
From The Kitchn
1 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tsp sea salt, plus more for garnishing the top
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
Line the bottom and sides of an 8- x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Brush lightly with canola oil.
In a small saucepan, combine heavy cream, butter, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a large, heavy saucepan set over medium to medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. Once the sugar is dissolved, cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 248 degrees F, gently swirling the saucepan (do not stir). Carefully stir in the cream mixture. It will bubble up, so take care not to burn yourself. Continue to simmer, swirling the mixture frequently, for 15-25 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and turns golden brown. While simmering, do not allow the temperature go higher than 250 degrees F.
The original authors offered a very helpful candy-making tip: To determine if the caramel is the consistency you like, drop a small amount of caramel into a bowl of cold water. Test the ball of caramel with your fingers to determine if the consistency is right.
Pour the cooked caramel into the prepared pan. Let the caramel cool for 2 hours. While the caramel is still slightly warm press some grains of sea salt into the surface. Cut into 1-inch pieces and wrap each into squares of wax paper.
Makes about 50 caramels.
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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
We hope your Christmas is filled with joy, laughter and many kitchen successes in the New Year. I am loving seasalt everything right now as well.
I love, love, love sea salt caramels. It makes me want to try all those bacon desserts I've been seeing lately. But maybe I'll just try my hand at these first – pure unadulterated goodness!
Your caramels look beautiful- love the sea salt on top! Enjoy your holidays.
I didn't get around to making caramels this year. I will have to save this recipe for another time. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
I had these last year and fell in love with them! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Oh my goodness! How adorable caramel with the salt touch
Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Gera
mmmmmmm they look yummy
these look delicious and what a nice christmas candy they make!
A lovely sweet idea.
Merry Christmas!
You forgot the a critical step: your directions simply have cream mixture end with "remove from heat and set aside." There's no mention of if or when this should be added to the molten sugar mixture. Nice tip about how to check the consistency though.
Thanks for all of the comments! We have not been able to stop eating these today.
Yogi, thank you so much for letting me know about the recipe omission. It has been fixed.
I have a girlfriend who loves these caramels. Thanks for the recipe!
I just finished a batch of these caramels! I decorated half of them with sea salt and left the rest plain, as the salt added in the recipe gives a nice tang.
I loved the ease of this recipe and it proved to be very successful for my first caramel-making experiment! I feel like a total pro now!
I can't wait to do it again and add little fancy extras to the process like lavender, cardamon, fennel or basil or perhaps some chocolate?!
Thanks for getting me started!
What a great shape, it really makes these caramels look elegant. I had an unsuccessful attempt at making caramel sauce once, which has kept me away from making candies, but these just look too good!
I've GOT to make these. Caramels are my favorite candy and I love the addition of sea salt. Beautiful!
You said the magic words — "foolproof". I have always found making the perfect caramel to be extremely tricky. Thanks for the recipe, and Happy Christmas! Robin
ps I don't even want to talk about my Cyndi Lauper phase back in high school. I've burned all the pictures!
I love caramels and they're so divine.
Thanks for the sweet treat. Merry X'mas!
Mmmm. I love it, it's cute. Happy Holidays!
A wonderful treat! What a great combo!
Merry Christmas!
Caramels are my weakness… lovely post. Happy holidays!
So lovely…and congrats on being among the Foodbuzz top 9 today!
I really enjoy your blog and hope you enjoy your holiday!
I made this this Christmas morning (very early) and all I can say is yum yum yum! These are for Santa's stockings, but Mom has had to sample far too many of them. My next project is the salty shortbread. Thank you so much and Happy Happy Holidays.
yum! i love sea salt caramels. these look great!
I see these everywhere, and yet they didn't make it on the final list of Christmas goodies. They look SO tasty. Maybe for New Years – just because!
Lovely — salt and caramel is a trend worth following. I'm glad it's introduced the idea of having savory with sweet. Sometimes desserts are just too overly sweet, so having something to balance it makes perfect sense!
I wish I could eat the picture! Sweet and salty. It doesn't get much tastier than that!
I have just made a salty caramel cheesecake and I think I am a new worshiper of salt-caramel combination.
I found your blog while looking for some salt-caramel recipes and I'll be back, for sure:)
http://www.getintothiskitchen.blogspot.com
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