One of my very favorite things about the holiday season is definitely the homemade chocolate caramels.
I absolutely love our microwave caramels (and we make them pretty often at our house!), but I was really in the mood for some chocolate, too.
I remembered some of my favorite chocolate’s from Mrs. Call’s and decided to give it a go making a homemade version myself.
THEY TURNED OUT AMAZING. I had to send them to work with my husband, or else I would have eaten them all in one sitting.
I decided to use our microwave caramels as a base for two reasons:
- You don’t need a candy thermometer (which means you have no excuse NOT to make them)
- You only need a few ingredients (most of which you probably already have in your pantry)
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Homemade Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt, you will need the following ingredients:
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Light corn syrup
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Milk chocolate chips (you could also use semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
- Vegetable oil
- Coarse sea salt (if you’re not a fan of salted caramels, you could easily leave this off)
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make Homemade Chocolate Caramels:
- Combine butter, sugars, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk in a microwaveable safe bowl until smooth.
- Cook for 6 minutes in your microwave, removing and stirring every two minutes.
- When caramel is done cooking, pour into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Let cool completely, then cut into squares.
- Set the caramels on a wax-lined baking sheet and make sure they are completely set up before dipping them.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and vegetable oil in 30 second intervals (stirring in between) until smooth.
- Dip each caramel square in the chocolate, then place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat until all caramels have been dipped.
- Top with sea salt, then let cool until chocolate has hardened.
Storing and Other Tips
Store your Chocolate Caramels in an airtight container. You can refrigerate for up to 4 weeks and freeze for up to 2 months.
To make them easier to cut, run your knife under hot water, and then spray it lightly with cooking spray. That way you’ll get a clean, sharp cut.
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 Caramels
- Homemade Microwave Caramels
Homemade Chocolate Caramels with Sea Salt
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 cups milk chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, (for topping)
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugars, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk in a microwaveable safe bowl until smooth.
- Cook for 6 minutes in your microwave, removing and stirring every two minutes.
- When caramel is done cooking, pour into a 9 x 9 inch baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
- Let cool completely, then cut into squares.
- Set the caramels on a wax-lined baking sheet and make sure they are completely set up before dipping them.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and vegetable oil in 30 second intervals (stirring in between) until smooth.
- Dip each caramel square in the chocolate, then place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat until all caramels have been dipped.
- Top with sea salt, then let cool until chocolate has hardened.
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 made my caramels exactly as the recipe except I used dark brown sugar instead of light. That was all I had. Unfortunately, the caramel was so chewy we were afraid to lose a filling. Did the dark brown sugar make a difference or is there something else that made them so hard?
You may have cooked them too long, or your microwave was too hot.
I also followed the recipe exactly. They are dark brown and definitely hurt my teeth….more like very hard glass. I don’t know what I could have done differently.
Worked perfectly and so simple!
This recipe was very easy. I followed the exact directions and my caramels were soft and chewy.
Can you store these in the freezer? How long do they store for?
These should store fine in the freezer for a few months. The wrapping is really important. You want to be sure that any candy you freeze is well wrapped. You want to keep ice from building up inside the package.
Can you use a double boiler
I don’t own a microwave
I followed the directions but mine turned out like a sugar daddy piece of candy. Hard as a rock. I’m sure it was because my microwave cooked too hot. It’s a farely new one. Should I lower the power next time, if so to what power or take off a couple minutes of cooking time?
Loved the recipe! Though I definitely did NOT need three cups of chocolate chips. Start with a cup at a time or have some back up ideas to use up the melted chocolate 🙂
Yes I would try lowering the power level next time, or start checking for the cold water test earlier. So sorry they didn’t turn out for you!