For a sweet and kinda sticky treat, give our homemade caramels recipe a try. These soft and buttery homemade caramels are a perfect Christmas candy recipe to eat and share as gifts.
I was so excited when I first tried out our homemade caramels recipe. But, I’ll be honest, I was also a bit intimidated too because caramel can be a bit finicky and hard to master, which is why I had normally steered clear of making it myself.
However, this is the best homemade caramel candy recipe you will find. Not does this recipe make some of the best soft and buttery caramels, but it is also an easy recipe that does not have to be intimidating to accomplish.
My love of caramels started back when my grandpa would always have some of the soft Worther’s candies that he took joy in (or so I assumed) sharing with me, especially around the holidays. So not only is this a great Christmas tradition to eat the caramels, but now I can make my own and share the love of caramels with other too.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Homemade Caramels, you will need the following ingredients:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Light corn syrup
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How To Make Homemade Caramels
- Melt butter over stove top. Add brown sugar and salt, mixing well.
- Stir in corn syrup.
- Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until candy reaches firm ball stage (245 degrees).
- This will take 12-15 minutes approx.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour into greased 9×13 pan. Let cool.
- Cut into 48 pieces with a sharp knife.
FAQ’s
In my personal option, I would say that using a candy thermometer is better to use than doing the ice water test.
The biggest reason for this is simply because the thermometer can sit in the pot with the mixture and you can see the temperature rising in real-time, making it super simple to know when it has hit 245 degrees.
As for the ice water test you have to guess and check every so often to see if the mixture is at the right stage. If you would like to learn how to do the ice water test without using a thermometer, Instructables has a great tutorial on how to perform the ice water test.
If you want to store the caramels individually or have made them to give as gifts to friends and family then choosing the right type of wrapping is key.
Since caramels are sticky you have to be careful when making your selection. The last thing you want to do is scrap your caramel off the wrapper.
So in order to avoid any scraping or unraveling of the caramels, use cut wax paper as the wrapper. You can cut a sheet of wax paper to fit the sizes of caramel you made and it is super cheap and efficient for homemade caramels.
Caramels will stay fresh for a good amount of time. If you leave the caramels sitting at room temperature and stored them in an airtight container they will last for about 2 weeks.
However, you can store them in the fridge and they will last about 3-4 weeks. But I would suggest letting the candy come to room temperature before enjoying a piece.
Storing and Other Tips
Store caramels at room temperature in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
You can store them in the fridge and they will last about 3-4 weeks.
The biggest tip I can give you for making caramels is to make sure you are 100% prepared when you are ready to make caramel.
When making caramel a lot of the time is spent stirring the ingredients in the pot. By continuously stirring the pot you will avoid the caramel from burning and create the perfect creamy soft caramel you want.
So, make sure to measure out all your ingredients ahead of time and prepare the pan so it is ready to pour the caramel mixture into right away.
Enjoy More Delicious Caramel Recipes
Making homemade candy makes us feel less guilty about our sweet tooth. Check out our comprehensive collection of candy recipes here.
- Chocolate Caramel Pecan Turtles
- Halloween Mickey Mouse Caramel Apples
- Homemade Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt
- Homemade Microwave Caramels
Homemade Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2¼ cups brown sugar, firmly packed
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, 1 can
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Melt butter over stove top. Add brown sugar and salt, mixing well.
- Stir in corn syrup.
- Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until candy reaches firm ball stage (245 degrees).
- This will take 12-15 minutes approx.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour into greased 9×13 pan. Let cool.
- Cut into 48 pieces with a sharp knife.
- Optional: Wrap each piece in wax paper.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
I want to make that today! Thanks for the recipe, looks amazing!
Receipe looks easy. I am going to try these next Christmas.
Please add a pin it button to your posts. I love your recipes but when I try to pin one on Pinterest, it isn’t able to find any images so then I can’t pin it. 🙁
ahhhh! I started making these and now I’ve realized that I don’t know if you mean degrees ferenheit or Celsius 🙁
I hope they turned out okay!
I am excited to try your caramel candy’s!!!!
I love caramels! I will definitely try this thanks for sharing!!
Will this work to cover apples?? Have you tried that??
Hi Mary!
I haven’t tried that, but I’m sure it would be delicious!
Do the wrapped carmels freeze well? If so any suggestions?
Hi Brenda,
I have never had enough left over to freeze them. I am not sure how it would work! I am so sorry I am not more help. Let us know if you try it!
OOOOOOO – I Love Love Love caramels..yours look divine. MMM!
I think I will make these and dip them in chocolate. What is better than caramels and chocolate together?????
Have you added the “Pin It” button to your bookmarks bar?
YUM! Let us know how that turns out!! -The Six Sisters
Thanks so much girls! I made these last night for my family and we really like them. Now I have to find someone to share them with. Thanks for sharing great content.
i made these, my first time trying to make caramels. my taste testers were so very impressed! one described it as “a nice creamy flavor and texture when you first put it in your mouth then after you swallow it , you get another beautiful burst of the most scruptious flavor your mouth will ever experience” thank you for this easy recipe and making me a big hit 🙂 everyones already asking for more 🙂
So glad they were a ‘hit’ for your taste testers! Merry Christmas! -The Six Sisters
I am wondering if this recipe is good for making caramel apples and caramel popcorn?
This is really similar to our caramel popcorn recipe on our blog.
im gonna make these right now!
These were super yummy! Thank you soooooo much!
How long does it take to turn solid? Mines seems to be taking forever. Also can I make them solid by putting them in the oven or fridge?
Because there are 6 of us and we are all sisters! 🙂
How long do these take to cool? Also, can they be cooled in the fridge or will this make them too difficult to cut? Thanks!
I just found this recipe on Pinterest. It is very similar to my mom’s classic recipe. Do your caramels harden when they cool or do they stay soft, or somewhat soft?
I followed the recipe exactly. The color and flavor is great but mine are really hard, instead of soft and chewy. Any thoughts? I took it off of the heat as soon as it hit firm ball. My son added some sea salt to the top of part of the pan so he could have sea salt caramel. Just wanted them to be soft. I’m stumped. Help please!
They are somewhat soft.
Let them cool for about an hour or so.
I just saw this post the first time today. I would like to do this but I am a little concerned because of Deann’s comment about them coing out hard instead of soft set. I don’t see an answer to her question. Can you tell me what may have caused this so I don’t make the same mistake.
Also, can you tell me how long these candies will last? I don’t have a bunch of family to gooble them up so I want to know if they will last a week or so in an airtight tin?
Thank you! marilyn
She doesn’t say whether or not she used a candy thermometer. It may have cooked too long. These should be fine for a week in an airtight container. We wrap each piece in waxed paper.
Hello! I have a quick question. Did you make high altitude adjustments to this recipe?
No need to butter pans if you use silicone – works great! Just flip out onto a plastic cutting board before cutting. And I keep wrapped caramels in the fridge for a month or more this time of year and they keep perfectly fresh.
I have made these twice.
The flavor is outstanding but, both times I got an area on top where the caramel crystallized and was very gritty. I followed the directions exactly (stopped stirring when it started to boil, used a buttered dish and used a candy thermometer (I even cooked the second batch a little less in case my thermometer was off my caramels were not as firm but still gritty on top) What in the world am I doing wrong? I want to use these as gifts but so far only about 1/2 of the batch is salvageable. Help!
I have made turtles for Christmas and need to know how to store them. I have read that you put them in an air tight container for a week. Well it’s two weeks until Christmas and have no other time to make these. Are they going to be okay if left in the refrigerator until needed? I hate to have wasted all these ingredients and money involved. Thanks for any suggestions you can give me. Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New year. Hope to hear real soon from you. Also can they be put in layers in the container seperated with parchment paper without them sticking?
They should be fine in the fridge in an airtight container. Parchment paper between them so they don’t stick is perfect!
Hi Kerry!
I am so sorry! I can’t figure out what the problem could be. I know humidity, elevation and so many things can change the outcome of recipes.
I am so sorry about that!
You just wouldnt cook it to firm ball stage, soft ball temp would work best. Dont remeber off top of my head but most candy thermometers have it labeled right on them.
Can cream be substituted for the sweetened condensed milk?
With this recipe you need to use sweetened condensed milk.
This is the exact recipe I use for caramel corn.
This is GOOD. We topped it with coarse salt while it was cooling. The directions were spot-on and easy to follow.