Grandma Norma’s Caramels

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My Grandma Norma made the best caramels and handed the recipe down to my Mom who has now shared it with me. I always looked forward to these caramels at Christmastime. Grandma always had some for us and they went fast. She made them nice and big! The plain caramel are amazing, but she also made chocolate caramels and some with pecans. So yummy!

My Grandma passed away early Christmas morning this past year. It was hard but she was in so much pain and was lonely after my Grandpa passed in August.

My Aunt Alene had mentioned to my Grandma that we should have caramels at her funeral and she loved the idea. 🙂 Alene happened to be in Florida over the Christmas break when Grandma passed away so my Mom and I made the caramels.

This recipe is pretty simple, really. The most important thing is to make sure to get it up to the correct temperature, no less or more.

Here is what you need to make Grandma Norma’s Caramels:

• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups white Karo syrup
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla

Start with a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the 2 cups of sugar to the bottom of the pan in the middle, avoid getting sugar on the sides as it will crystallize. Pour the corn syrup around the sugar, add the salt, then pour one cup of the whipping cream in.

Stir together and cook on low heat for half an hour until it turns beige in color.

Turn the heat up and add about another cup of the cream. The amount doesn’t matter too much, just make sure not to let it stop boiling when you add the cream or it may curdle. Just add it slowly. If it does curdle, add 1/16 tsp. baking soda and stir.

Cook for another 20 minutes or so then add the remaining cream and cook until a firm, soft ball, 230 to 234 degrees Fahrenheit. We decided that 234 degrees was the magic number for caramels to cut and wrap. I need to get myself a good candy thermometer like my Mama’s.

You don’t have to stir these constantly, just when you add the cream to incorporate it and at the end to keep it from sticking to the pan.

When the mixture reaches 234 degrees, add the vanilla and stir.

Pour the caramels into a buttered pan. This recipe makes a half jelly roll or you could use a 9×13 pan. My Mom always makes them to give away so she doubles the recipe and pours it into a large jelly roll pan.

My Mom also makes amazing cashew caramels with this recipe. She spreads the cashews on the pan and pours the caramel over them. Then after they have cooled she cuts them into squares and dips them in chocolate. When making these caramels to dip you will want to get the temperature closer to 230 degrees. They are HEAVEN!

Making chocolate caramels is just as easy. Just add 4 oz. of chopped semi-sweet or unsweetened baker’s chocolate at the beginning with the sugar.

Once the caramel is poured into the pan you will want to let it cool completely. Waiting is the hard part!

You can cut them however you would like. Grandma always cut them into long rectangles and wrapped them in wax paper wrappers. We used cellophane wrappers this last time and they worked great and wouldn’t tear when you tightened them.

Grandma Norma’s caramels are a treat you don’t want to miss out on. We hope you will try them! I promise they are not hard to make.

Just when I think the regular caramels are my favorite, I take a bite of these delicious chocolate caramels and change my mind.

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Grandma Norma’s Caramels

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups white Karo syrup
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla

Instructions

 

• Start with a heavy bottomed pan. Add the 2 cups of sugar to the bottom of the pan in the middle, avoid getting sugar on the sides as it will crystallize. Pour the corn syrup around the sugar, add the salt, then pour one cup of the whipping cream in. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes until it becomes pale beige in color.

  Turn up the heat and add another cup of the cream, slowly. Do not allow the mixture to stop boiling or it will curdle. If it does curdle, add 1/16 tsp. baking soda and stir. 

  After about 15 or 20 minutes add the remaining cream and cook to a firm, soft ball, 230 degrees to 234 degrees. 230 degrees is right if you plan to dip the caramels. 234 degrees is ideal for cutting and wrapping the caramels. Stir at the end as the caramel gets up to temp and begins to thicken. 

  When desired temperature is reached, add the vanilla and stir. Pour the caramel into a buttered 9×13 pan. Cool and let stand for at least 24 hours. 2 to 3 days is best. Cut and wrap as desired.