Caramels

Around the holidays, my family always made these caramels. The recipe was originally from my grandparents' best friends, and I grew up thinking that it was a super secret family recipe. Last year we discovered an almost identical recipe in Shirley Corriher's excellent book Cookwise. Go figure.

Candymaking can be tricky, but it's within reach if you have the right tools and a few important bits of knowledge. A trustworthy candy thermometer is key, since a few degrees in either direction can make the difference between hard candy and a nice soft caramel. A very solid pot (for even heat distribution) will make your life much easier, although my dad usually did okay with a nasty old aluminum pot.

Start by buttering up a sheet pan (so you don't have to do it later). Then, melt 2 cups of granulated sugar and 2 cups of light corn syrup on medium heat. The corn syrup helps keep the granulated sugar from recrystallizing once it's melted and prevents the candy from becoming grainy. You can stir a bit at the beginning, but not once the sugar has started melting (since again, that might cause recrystallization). You also don't want too much sugar on the sides of the pot - to avoid this, put the lid on when the sugar starts steaming, and let the steam collect and run down the sides. Once the sides are clear, take the lid off and put in your thermometer. Keep the sugars on medium heat until they reach 310°F/154°C - this will take a while, but keep an eye on it from about 270° on.

While the sugar has started melting, cut 1/2 c. of butter (1 stick) into 1 Tbsp. chunks and measure out 2 c. heavy whipping cream. Once the sugar has reached 310°F, stir in the butter chunks and cream sloooowly. The temperature will drop pretty rapidly. Stir constantly (scraping the bottom and sides to fully incorporate the melted sugar) until the mixture reaches 245°F/118°C. Take the caramels off the heat and quickly stir in 1 tsp. vanilla extract (or vanilla paste). Then pour the caramel out into the buttered cookie sheet. Typically, the candy will already have started to cool by the time you're done pouring it out, so don't scrape out the sides (you might end up with a big lumpy mess on top of your nice glossy candy).

You will be tempted to lick the spoon/scrape the caramel out of the bottom of the pot right away, but trust me, you don't want to do this. It's still over 200°F and it will burn the hell out of your tongue. So, let it cool a little bit (or, my personal favorite - put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the pot and eat it with the hardened caramel). Give the caramels 1-2 hours to harden a bit, then cover them with plastic wrap. This will prevent the caramels from absorbing excess moisture from the air and becoming too gooey. It's best to let the caramels harden for a few more hours (or overnight) before you cut them.

The easiest way to cut the caramels efficiently is to turn out the whole sheet of candy (pry it out from one end with a flexible spatula) onto a sheet of parchment paper. Then, use a pizza cutter to slice lengthwise into strips and then widthwise into chunks. Wrap in rectangles of parchment paper and enjoy!