I’ve always been a bit nervous about making candies. I thought you needed to be so, so specific with the temperatures, then there’s the hot sugar that always sounded horrible and dangerous, and it just never seemed like it was worth the effort.
Y’all…I was wrong.
I finally got the courage to face my fears and make some candies and they’re GOOD. I went with a salted whiskey caramel because…of course I did. They’re salty, sweet, and have a hint of whiskey and are honestly a little too easy to snack on.
While they are easy, there are still a few tips for ensuring success:
- thermometer: you really do need a thermometer for this one. a candy thermometer is ideal, but if you have a probe thermometer that works too! Just be sure to not get the temperature of the bottom of the pot but instead try to get the temp from the middle of the sugar mixture
- pot size matters: I say to use a large pot and I mean it! I tried to make it in a medium sized pot because it seemed like it would work but it did not. There’s a lot of bubbling and growth that happens and you do not want this to overflow and make a mess on your stove top
- practice makes perfect: with candy, the temperature you cook it to has a huge impact on the final texture. If you want a really chewy, soft caramel do not let the mixture go above 240*, maybe even take it off the heat when it hits 235*. If you want them a little firmer, keep it on the stove until it hits 240* and it’ll coast a bit higher, resulting in firmer caramels. I wouldn’t cook it above 240* or you might have caramels that are too hard to eat!
That’s it! This is a fun one and I hope you enjoy your caramel creations 🙂
Salted Whiskey Caramels
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp (71 g) butter
- 1 cup (227 g) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (4oz) whiskey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup (300 g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (78 g) corn syrup
- 1/4 cup (57 g) water
- 1-2 tbsp flakey salt
How to do it
- prepare the pan: line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper and spray the paper with nonstick spray. set aside
- make the cream mixture: in a medium pot, combine the butter, heavy cream, whiskey, and salt over medium high heat to a boil, stirring constantly. remove from heat and set aside
- make the sugar solution: in a large pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water. set over medium heat and cook to 310*. while the sugar solution is on the heat, do not stir
- combine: once the sugar solution reaches 310*, add the cream mixture and whisk to combine. continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes up to 240*
- let set: pour into the prepared pan and let set for 10 minutes before topping with flakey salt
- enjoy: once fully set, cut into 1″ squares and enjoy!