Homemade Caramel with Sea Salt (no corn syrup)
caramel
Homemade caramel, like homemade marshmallows, sounds very intimating and daunting. The scarier it sounds the more it makes me want to try it to find out if it really is. Homemade caramel, my friends, is easy! AND I make mine with honey instead of corn syrup so you can make it and not feel bad about it! I can never actually get myself to use corn syrup. I mean, I don't want my food to have a longer shelf-life than me. Anyway! Homemade caramel! It's a very few ingredients that are boiled together and that's it. You do need a candy thermometer though. Which is great because then you can make homemade marshmallows as well because you need a candy thermometer for those.
I love using honey in recipes! Instead of the flat and overly sweet flavor of corn syrup, honey adds layers of flavor. It's floral, rich, and depending on which varietal you buy (avocado, clover, buckwheat, etc.) it will be deeper in flavor. The sea salt in this recipe is not mandatory, but adding the salt balances the sweetness, brightens the caramel, and adds a nice crunch. I highly recommend it. You want the really good kind of sea salt that has larger flakes.
Here's what you need:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sea salt (plus more for sprinkling at the end)
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
How you make it: (I'll take you step by step with pictures, but its written in full on the bottom)
*Start by lining a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray to evenly coat. The parchment paper is important so that the caramel can be removed easily.
caramel
*In a saucepan heat the cream and salt over medium heat until bubbles start to form on the sides; right before it starts to simmer
*Pour in the honey and whisk to combine
*Bring this mixture to a boil continuing to stir; I like using a spatula or wooden spoon at this point
*Lower the heat to about medium or medium low; so that it is simmering (make sure your candy thermometer is attached at this point)
*Simmer until it just reaches 255-260 degrees
*Remove the pan from the heat and stir until it reaches 240 degrees
*Add in the vanilla and stir until well combined
caramel
caramel
*Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow to set for about an hour or so
*When ready to cut remove the caramel by pulling the parchment paper out of the baking pan
*Cut the square of caramel in half; you can use a knife; if you have a pizza cutter that works also
*Cut each half in half again length wise; so this means you will have quartered the square
caramel
*Starting from the long edge of each quarter, roll the caramel over like a jelly roll; this will create a long tube-like shape
*Use the knife to cut the caramel tube into small rectangles
*Sprinkle with sea salt
caramel
caramel
caramel
Here are the steps in full:
*Start by lining a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray to evenly coat. The parchment paper is important so that the caramel can be removed easily.
*In a saucepan heat the cream and salt over medium heat until bubbles start to form on the sides; right before it starts to simmer
*Pour in the honey and whisk to combine
*Bring this mixture to a boil continuing to stir; I like using a spatula or wooden spoon at this point
*Lower the heat to about medium or medium low; so that it is simmering (make sure your candy thermometer is attached at this point)
*Simmer until it just reaches 255-260 degrees
*Remove the pan from the heat and stir until it reaches 240 degrees
*Add in the vanilla and stir until well combined
*Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and allow to set for about an hour
*When ready to cut remove the caramel by pulling the parchment paper out of the baking pan
*Cut the square of caramel in half; you can use a knife; if you have a pizza cutter that works also
*Cut each half in half again length wise; so this means you will have quartered the square
*Starting from the long edge of each quarter, roll the caramel over like a jelly roll; this will create a long tube-like shape
*Use the knife to cut the caramel tube into small rectangles
*Sprinkle with sea salt
caramel
These caramels can be stored in the refrigerator or covered in room temperature. Please note that these do not have the shelf-life that regular caramel does because it doesn't have the stabilizers from the corn syrup.