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Denise's Vanilla Caramels

Source of Recipe

From "The Pastry Queen Christmas" by Rebecca Rather


Recipe Introduction

"Wrapping these caramels individually in squares of waxed paper and twisting the ends closed means these don't have to be given away in covered containers. They can be mounded in small candy dishes or holiday glassware or stemware and handed out. Old-fashioned Christmas cardboard boxes, which I discovered at an antiques store, were one of my best finds this year. I filled them with caramels and gave them away to rave reviews. Former employee Denise Carey gave me this recipe, which she says came from a cookbook published in the 1930s. Her mother made them every Christmas for years, and now she's inherited the duty. Denise's caramels cannot be hurried. So set a stool by the stove, put on some relaxing music, arm yourself with a comfortable wooden spoon, and get ready to stir, and stir, and stir. It takes at least 1 hour of constant tending to get these irresistible candies to the proper temperature. Your patience will be rewarded by the end result: sweet, soft, vanilla-scented caramels that slowly melt on your tongue (provided you have the self-control to keep from chewing them). Although Denise finds it challenging to fit making these into her busy holiday schedule, she's always glad she did. 'If you make yourself take the time, it's very relaxing,' she says. Make sure you have a candy thermometer before you begin.

List of Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup Lyle's Golden Syrup or light corn syrup
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract


Recipe

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk, cream, whole milk, and butter. Place over medium-high heat and stir until the mixture starts to bubble. Reduce the temperature to low and continue stirring, using a zigzag motion to ensure you are scraping all around the bottom of the pan. Stir constantly until the sugar mixture reaches the firm-ball stage (236°F) on a candy thermometer, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (When done, the mixture will be a deep golden tan color.)

Stir in the vanilla and pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let the caramel stand until just cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Using a sharp, buttered knife, cut it into 1-inch squares. Wrap each caramel in a 4-inch square piece of waxed paper and twist each end to close. The caramels will keep for up to 4 days.

Makes about 5 dozen caramels.


Variation:
For nutty caramels, roll each caramel in chopped toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts.