Caramels

Caramel 

This card was fairly pristine, which made me wonder if Grandma had ever attempted to make these homemade caramels. If she had, it might have been before I came along because caramel making was not something I associated with Grandma. 

I have friends who make and give out caramels every year, so I turned to one of them for advice. The instructions said to cook this caramel to "firm ball stage," but I didn't want to get it wrong, not with all that butter, cream, and sugar. And even after my friend told me the temperature she cooked her caramel to, I decided to make half a batch, just in case it was a fail like my first attempt at toffee was. 

How to Make Homemade Caramels

The process for making the caramels was actually pretty simple. Put the ingredients in pan and turn on the stove. 

I did that, then cooked it over medium heat, stirring and not fiddling with the temperature as I'd learned the hard way. I wished later that I'd timed how long it took for the mixture to reach 232 degrees, but it seemed to go fairly quickly.  I had lined a 9-inch pan lined with parchment paper (remember this is half a batch) and buttered the paper. When I poured the mixture in, it looked like caramel. Woohoo!

I then glanced at the recipe card and realized it said something about salt. Also nuts. Well, I was making two other candies with nuts, so I decided to forgo them here. I'd eaten plenty of homemade caramels without nuts and knew it would be just fine. As for the salt, though, maybe a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top would work as well. 

The real puzzle came when it was time to cut the caramel. I'd seen homemade caramels in a variety of shapes and sizes. Grandma said to cut them into squares, so, using a buttered knife, I did that. I also cut some longer pieces. 

Then came the fiddly part of the process, wrapping them. I knew that if I didn't, they would get hard and dry. I cut 3 x 3-inch pieces of waxed paper and my daughter and I wrapped the long ones, giving each a twist on the end to secure the paper. 

As for the small squares, I wondered if there was a better way than by wrapping them one by one. Google to the rescue. Someone online suggested placing multiple pieces of caramel on long strips of waxed paper, then rolling them up. 

We tried it, and it worked well. I just snipped the waxed paper between the two pieces, then folded the ends under. With a bit of a crease, they stayed pretty well. A sticker could also be used to keep the paper shut. 

The Verdict on Homemade Caramels

With all that cutting and wrapping, my daughter and I had plenty of chances to snitch samples. Delicious. The caramel was buttery smooth and creamy. I had no qualms about giving the wrapped pieces away as neighbor gifts because they were something to be proud of.