Soft Buttery Sea Salt Caramels (Printer-friendly)

Soft, buttery caramels kissed with flaky sea salt for a sweet and salty delight.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 1 cup heavy cream
02 - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

→ Sweeteners

03 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
04 - 1/4 cup light corn syrup
05 - 1/4 cup water

→ Flavorings

06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
07 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Finish

08 - Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), for sprinkling

# How-To Steps:

01 - Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Lightly butter the parchment for easy removal.
02 - Combine heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until butter melts and mixture is hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and set aside.
03 - In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, gently stir together sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves.
04 - Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook without stirring until the mixture turns light golden and reaches 320°F on a candy thermometer.
05 - Carefully pour the warm cream and butter into the caramelized sugar, stirring constantly. Cook until the temperature reaches 245°F for soft caramels or up to 250°F for firmer texture.
06 - Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and fine sea salt.
07 - Immediately pour hot caramel into prepared pan. Let rest for 5 minutes, then evenly sprinkle flaky sea salt over the surface.
08 - Allow caramels to cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours. Lift out using parchment overhang and cut into 1-inch squares with a sharp knife.
09 - Individually wrap each caramel in wax paper or cellophane to prevent sticking.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • That flaky salt hits right when you need it most, cutting through the sweetness like a cool breeze.
  • Homemade caramels taste so buttery and soft they almost dissolve on your tongue, nothing like the store-bought versions.
  • Once you nail this, you've got an impressive gift that looks like you spent all day on it.
02 -
  • Use a candy thermometer and actually watch it—eyeballing the color alone has burned more batches than I care to admit.
  • Don't skip the vanilla extract step; it rounds out the saltiness in a way that makes people wonder what your secret ingredient is.
  • Let it cool all the way at room temperature, not in the fridge, or it'll be too hard to cut cleanly.
03 -
  • Get your parchment and pan ready before you start cooking—once that caramel hits temperature, there's no time to find supplies.
  • If your caramel seems to be crystallizing or turning grainy, add a tiny splash of water and stir gently over low heat to smooth it back out.
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