Try this Caramels recipe and impress your loved ones with your culinary skills.
- Carbohydrate 4.87726135029784 g
- Cholesterol 6.95820513707122 mg
- Fat 2.33290145596118 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0.0582138462279943 g
- Saturated Fat 1.46514478819166 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (10g)
- Sodium 13.9844914699345 mg
- Sugar 4.87726135029784 g
- Trans Fat 0.155545829255196 g
- Calories 39 calories
Step-by-step
- Butter a 9x13 inch dish.
- In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1 cup cream and butter. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then stir in remaining 1 cup cream. Heat, without stirring, to 242 degrees F (116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and pour into prepared dish. Refrigerate.
- When cool, return candies to room temperature then cut into 1 inch squares and wrap in waxed paper.
Heavy cream carries the primary weight in this formulation, functioning simultaneously as a source of moisture and fat that prevents the boiling sugar solution from shattering into brittle glass. Sugar crystals need continuous dissolution and precise thermal control to reach the desired firm-ball stage, which is chemically achieved when the moisture content drops to roughly eight to ten percent. Fat from both the butter and the dairy coats the sugar molecules, slowing crystallization and yielding a smooth, sliceable chew rather than a grainy paste. Controlling this phase transition requires attention to thermal physics, particularly when modern electronic tools fail or remain unavailable in the kitchen drawer.
Judging Doneness Without a Thermometer
Thermometers break, drift out of calibration, or sit missing in drawers, making the cold water test an essential analogue backup for sugar cooks. Drop a half-teaspoon of the boiling syrup into a small bowl of ice water immediately upon reaching the suspected window. Retrieve the droplet between thumb and forefinger; if it flattens instantly, the syrup remains in the soft-ball stage and requires more heat. Roll the cooled sample into a sphere. A firm-ball consistency means the candy holds its spherical shape under gentle pressure while remaining pliable enough to indent without cracking. Pull the saucepan off the burner the exact second the syrup achieves this resistance, as residual heat pushes the sugar past the optimal window within seconds.
- Graininess results from sugar crystals clinging to the saucepan sides during the initial boil; brush down the interior wall with a wet pastry brush before the mixture reaches a boil.
- Separation occurs when the butter or cream is added too quickly or is drastically colder than the surrounding syrup; temper the dairy slightly before incorporating it into the boiling sugar.
- Scorch marks appear on the bottom of heavy pots when stirring stops prematurely during the second cream addition; maintain steady scraping contact across the entire base of the pan.
