Homemade Caramel

I've been wanting to make homemade caramel for a while, and after my Dad requested Salted Caramel Biscotti for his birthday, I had the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. I always thought you needed heavy cream, but ended up finding a helpful recipe that utilized condensed milk instead.


I followed the majority of a Bourbon Caramel Recipe, skipping out on the bourbon part for this variety.  Fortunately, I had a candy thermometer on hand to use for this as it is vital to the process to get the temperature right.

I got started by adding sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a saucepan and brought it to a boil over medium-high heat to let the sugar dissolve.

I heated the mixture to a boil and let it cook until the color went from clear to amber.

I removed the pan from the heat, then stirred in the condensed milk and butter.

I immediately dipped the Biscotti into the caramel, and transferred the remaining caramel into a parchment lined bread pan.  The original recipe called for an 8" x 8" pan, however since I had used part of the caramel for the biscotti I figured a smaller size was appropriate.

The caramel never actually hardened enough to be cut into pieces, except for when I put it in the fridge and then it was way too hard.  I moved it to a jar to be used for dipping, and it was perfect.  It turned out sweet, creamy, and delicious.  Next time I have to try the heavy cream variety to see the difference!

Homemade Caramel Recipe

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
1/2 cup unsalted butter , cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Line an 8" x 8” baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Add sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture turns a deep amber color, 8–10 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Fit pan with thermometer and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thermometer reaches 240°. Remove from heat and whisk in salt. Pour into prepared pan; let cool. Cut into smaller pieces.