Butter Caramels

Submitted by Lali8752

"These are so good. I should make them ALL year instead of Just at Christmas"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 4
• Yields: 32 squares

ingredients

• 5 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup cream, warmed if possible

directions

1. Place sugar in a clean dry saucepan.
2. Pour the water around the wall of the pan to avoid any splashing of sugar crystals onto the sides of the pan.
3. Bring to a boil and continue cooking on high until amber colored.
4. Turn heat off and with a wooden spoon, stir in the butter and then the cream.
5. Pour into an 8 by 8-inch pan that has been lined with foil and well-buttered and let the caramel cool and set until firm.
6. Once firm, cut into squares.
7. Wrap in decorative clear plastic.
8. Store at room temperature.

Reviews

[Karen=^..^=]

I made these twice and I could not get them to set up. The second time I let the mixture get darker amber, thinking that was the reason. I did go onto Gail Gand's web page and the recipe is correct as written. I am not sure what the problem is...they taste fabulous (not gritty at all) but are too sticky and gooey and won't hold their shape (even after letting them firm up overnight). I think I may try freezing them and then cutting and dipping in chocolate. Maybe that will hold them together? I think this has potential since the flavor is so good...maybe a temperature would help? P.S. I used light cream, since the recipe does not specify and I did warm it. It took 10-15 minutes WITHOUT stirring to get the sugar to the amber color and do be careful when adding the butter and cream...the sugar goes crazy and bubbles all over :)

 

[Avarah]

Horrible, bad, awful, poorly written recipe! Ok, was I clear enough? AMBER is NOT a stage in cooking sugar! I tried this recipe twice. The first time I kept cooking and cooking the sugar waiting for it to get "amber" which it never did. The sugar seized up. Ok, there was 5 cups of sugar wasted. So I tried again and cooked it to firm ball stage, which seemed logical to me. It was gritty and never set. Another 5 cups of sugar wasted, plus cream and butter. It *could* have been the humidity (as I live in Texas, afterall), but I do believe that an actual cook-to temperature would have been highly helpful instead of "AMBER". Grrr!

 

[Doyle O.]

Anyone interested in Caramel making should read the instructions at About.com. It has a great recipe that has detailed instructions and pictures. That way when you are using a recipe like this you can figure out temps and processes. I make butter caramels frequently.

 

[Jaylee]

The correct temp for cooking caramels is generally 233-234 degrees, for those confused by the instructions.