Soft, buttery homemade caramels! A tried-and-true recipe you’ll want to make every Christmas. Hundreds of reviewers agree these are the most delicious homemade soft caramels around!
This post was originally published in 2012. It has been updated with new step-by-step photos but the recipe is still the same treasured recipe from an old church cookbook.
I’ve tried other caramel recipes over the years, but always come back to this one. These are perfectly soft, but not such a soft caramel that they fall apart.
This recipe makes a ton of caramels! I usually make them for my yearly Christmas neighbor gifts. It’s a family tradition to make a batch or two the weeks leading up to Christmas.
(Original photo from 2012 post)
I actually look forward to spending the evening wrapping caramels in wax paper (and sneaking some bites!) and hanging out with family.
VIDEO: How to Make Caramels
Homemade Soft Caramels
This recipe makes a ton of caramels, so you’ll want to recruit the whole family to help wrap them and package them in gift boxes for friends and neighbors. They’re a creamy indulgence and quick treat everyone will love!
Long ago my Grandma would cut individual pieces of wax paper to wrap up these caramels. Now I just buy a pack of pre-cut wrappers on Amazon. I like these wax paper squares or these clear wrappers.
The original recipe my Grandma used came from an old church cookbook. It was submitted by a woman named Elda Peck.
So wherever you are Elda Peck, thank you! Your soft homemade caramels are a classic candy favorite at our house!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture
- Great for the holidays
- Deep caramel flavor
- Makes a large batch for gifting
Ingredients You’ll Need
These homemade caramels are made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients. The magic is in the method of making them!
- Sugar: It’s important to use white granulated sugar to create the best rich caramel flavor. No other type of sugar will work! I like Domino brand best.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter for these caramels!
- Corn syrup: For the best caramels, use light corn syrup (not dark corn syrup).
- Salt: Kosher sea salt is best for this recipe — it gives the best texture and flavor!
- Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk helps give these soft chewy caramels a creamy, smooth texture.
Optional but delicious: I also love adding the seeds of a vanilla bean to these caramels. Just add scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean pod and add them in with the sugar. They’re also delicious topped with some flaky sea salt.
How to Make Homemade Caramels
- Melt the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt together in a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat or medium-high heat.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the evaporated milk a little at a time, taking 5-10 minutes per can and stirring constantly. A labor of love indeed.
- Once all the milk is added use a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to 238F-240F and not any hotter! Even a few degrees hotter will make them chewy instead of soft.
- Pour into a parchment lined 13×9 pan and cool completely. Cut and serve. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
For a perfect bite size candy, individually wrap these creamy caramels in pre-cut wrappers from Amazon. From there, you can store them in an airtight container or in a candy jar. You can store them at room temperature or in the fridge. They’ll last up to a week at room temperature and even long in the refrigerator.
Caramel Recipe FAQs
Some reviewers had reported good success with microwaving the evaporated milk to warm it up before adding it. The key is you want the caramel mixture to keep boiling the whole time you’re adding the milk.
(Adding warm milk won’t bring the temperature down as much so you can add it faster while still maintaining a boil.)
Yes! You can easily half this recipe and use an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan.
Yes! A sprinkle of salt makes a delicious addition to these caramels. I highly recommend this maldon salt. Sprinkle the salt over the caramels immediately after pouring them into the pan so the salt will stick.
I love adding the seeds of a vanilla bean to these caramels. Just add scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean pod and add them in with the sugar.
Once the caramels have been cut and wrapped in wax paper or parchment candy wrappers, they will keep in an airtight container for several weeks. I like to keep them in the fridge!
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Testing the temperature: The most important part of making homemade caramels is to be sure they come up to the right temperature. For soft caramels 238F is the perfect temperature. I like to use a candy thermometer while I’m stirring/cooking the caramels then MOST IMPORTANTLY double check the temperature with an instant thermometer. Be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the caramel mixture! If the thermometer is touching the bottom of the pan the temperature won’t be correct.
- Testing the consistency: I highly recommend using a thermometer AND the cold water test to be sure you get perfectly chewy candies. To do the cold water test, simply fill a small cup with cold water then drizzle a little of the caramel into the cup. You should be able to use your fingers to form it into a stable ball, but it will still be soft and easy to squish.
- Use a stainless steel pot if possible! These caramels turn out much butter when made in a stainless steel pot (as opposed to an enameled Dutch Oven).
We also might this tried-and-true marshmallow fudge every year!
More Recipes from My Grandma’s Cookbook
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try these homemade caramels, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Soft, Buttery Homemade Caramels
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups (800g) granulated sugar
- 2 sticks butter 1 cup (226g)
- 2 cups (480ml) white corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 12 oz. cans (708ml) evaporated milk
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. (A stainless steel pot works best for these caramels.)
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the evaporated milk a little at a time, taking 10-15 minutes per can and stirring constantly. A labor of love indeed.
- Once all the milk is added use a candy thermometer and bring the mixture to 238F-240F and not any hotter! Even a few degrees hotter will make them chewy instead of soft. (This will take another 15 minutes or so!) I highly recommend double checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer as it comes to temperature.
- Immediately pour into the prepared pan and cool completely. (Once the caramels are cool – I recommend freezing them for 20-30 minutes before slicing. Or you can refrigerate them for a few hours. You don't want them to be frozen solid, but if they're cold this helps the caramels hold their shape when cutting/wrapping.) Cut and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Testing the temperature: The most important part of making homemade caramels is to be sure they come up to the right temperature. For soft caramels 238F is the perfect temperature. I like to use a candy thermometer while I’m stirring/cooking the caramels then MOST IMPORTANTLY double check the temperature with an instant thermometer. Be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the caramel mixture! If the thermometer is touching the bottom of the pan the temperature won’t be correct.
- Use a stainless steel pot if possible! These caramels turn out much butter when made in a stainless steel pot (as opposed to an enameled Dutch Oven).
Nutrition
Caramel FAQs
Caramels are made by heating white sugar until the molecules break down, resulting in a dark brown, rich flavored syrup. This recipe also includes butter, white corn syrup, Kosher salt, and evaporated milk.
Corn syrup is a necessary ingredient in caramels because it keeps the sugar molecules from crystallizing after they break down. This creates a soft, smooth texture, rather than a grainy texture.
Butterscotch and caramel flavors are certainly similar. However, there is a slight difference: caramels are made with white sugar, and butterscotch is made with brown sugar.
These are absolutely DELICIOUS! I’ve made them twice now, once a few years ago, and I brought them to work, and people are STILL talking about them. 🙂 I’m finally making them again, made them tonight, and they turned out just as amazing as I remember!!! I divided the pan into three sections, one for a Ghost Chili Sea Salt I sprinkled on, one section topped with regular sea salt, and one section I left plain. The Ghost Chili Sea Salt is incredible on them. Spicy carmels. It’s by Spinnaker Chocolate here in Seattle. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Hi Amy, what a creative idea—the sweet/spicy combo sounds amazing! Thanks so much for your kind words! Your co-workers are lucky to have you! 🙂
Hi there, I’ve never attempted caramels before, but I noticed dark brown specs appearing in the caramel at the very last phase of boiling just before it reached 238°. I added my milk extremely slowly like recommended. Waiting for them to cool now, but just wondered what happened right at the end? Thanks for sharing. They smell absolutely amazing and can’t wait to try them.
Hi Andrea, good question! The dark brown specs are probably bits of milk solids and sugar that darkened faster than the rest of the caramel. This can happen if the pan heats unevenly or if the caramels go a few seconds too long on the stove. But this is a common thing, and they should still taste amazing! Be sure to use a high-quality, heavy-bottomed pot, to prevent uneven browning in the future! Let us know how they turn out!
The highest I could get the caramels on my stove was 230*. Tneyare kinda sticky. Anything I can do?
Hi there, good question! This can happen if the pot is too small and narrow, or if there’s too much liquid or humidity in the air. It could also be due to high elevation or adding the milk too soon. It make take some trial and error!
My carmels look like they have butter on the top and sides one poured into pan to cool. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Haley, very good question! It sounds like your fat and sugar mixture separated. This can happen when the butter or cream is too cold, the butter gets added too early, or the mixture gets too hot. To prevent this in the future, be sure to use room temperature butter and let the cream sit out for a bit before using. Pour slowly and whisk continuously, cooking over moderate heat in a heavy-bottom pot for even mixing. Good luck!
Do you use high quality butter? I made these last year and the butter wouldn’t combine with the other ingredients, just sat on top. I poured most off and let them set up as is. They were still delicious, I just dont know why they did that.
Hi Marsha, we usually just use regular salted butter. Separation can happen if the mixture is heated too quickly/unevenly or the evaporated milk is added too quickly. Candy is finicky and needs a lot of patience and a lot of stirring. A heavy-bottomed pot also helps as it creates the most even heat. We hope your next batch goes much better!
Can I make a double batch of these in the same pan or is it best to make the recipe twice?
Hi Lori, since candy-making can be tricky, we’d play it safe and make the recipe twice. One batch makes quite a few caramels too. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I am getting ready to use this recipe and I noticed it says “15 mins per can” when adding the milk. Do you stir in each can for 15 mins (total of 30mins)? This will be my first time ever making caramels and your recipe sounds delicious!
Hello! Yes, you want to add the evaporated milk very slowly. Each can should take about 15 minutes to pour in, stirring constantly, so 30 minutes total. We hope you love the caramels!
Hello! I made these yesterday and they seem to be wonderful. It took much longer than 15 minutes, with the pan boiling away, to reach the 238 degrees. Can you think of anything I may have done that made it take considerably longer to reach the right temperature? I live in Baltimore, MD. Thanks!
Hi Jen, we’re so glad you loved the caramels! Things like humidity, the pot size/type used, variations in stovetops and how hot they burn, and other little factors can change how long it takes since candy is so finicky. We hope these ideas help!
I made these today and start to finish it was 1-1/2 hours. This was as soon as I put the pan on the stove. I used my All-Clad stainless stock pot. They turned out great, haven’t cut them yet, still cooling. I’m in Fort Wayne, IN. She did say labor of love though! Can’t wait to try!
Hi Stefanie, hope the time was well worth it for you! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Ok so these turned out SOOOOOO GOOD I had to make them twice! I mean, seriously, the best caramel EVER!!! Followed the recipe to a T and I couldn’t have asked for better quality! Thanks so much for sharing and I can’t wait to gift these!
LOVE this recipe! I made this last night and have been handing them out to everyone ever since. One thing to note that I didn’t see in the comments or instructions, if you’re going to add liquid vanilla (I added 3 tsps of Mexican vanilla), you’ll need to either cook it longer to evaporate the vanilla or bring the temp up to about 145° for a sightly harder candy, or else it will simply pool at room temp. At 145° with liquid vanilla, the soft consistency is the same as 138°!
Hi Jay, we’re so pleased you enjoyed the recipe so much! Thank you for your positive feedback. We recommend using seeds of a vanilla bean and adding it with the sugar to avoid issues with the texture/temperature. Thank you for sharing your experience with the liquid vanilla. Happy baking!
Salted or unsalted butter ?
Hi Debra, we use salted butter in all of the recipes. We hope you enjoy the caramels!
Can you use heavy cream instead of evaporated milk?
Hi Erin, we haven’t tried it with heavy cream. For best results, we recommend sticking with the evaporated milk. But if you try it with the heavy cream, let us know how it turns out!
I’ve tried this recipe 3 time and my caramel keeps coming out very hard. What am I doing wrong? It smells delicious.
Hi Kayla, we’re sorry you had this experience! Are you using a candy thermometer to get the temperature just right? Caramel is easy to over or undercook and really requires a thermometer. While these caramels cook to the firm ball stage, it sounds like in your attempts they are overcooking to the hard crack stage which is more suitable for toffee or brittle. We hope this helps!
Hey 🙂 I don’t have a candy thermometer but this is what I do that gives me perfect consistency every time!
It’s very similar to the ice water method of checking consistency, but I found it to be a little less tedious/messy.
I’ll place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of an ice cube, and then place a dollop of the hot caramel onto the spot where the ice cube is. This rapidly cools the caramel and allows you to check what the constancy of your final product will be like!
I start checking when I think the caramel is still around a sauce stage, then I’ll keep checking every few minutes until I see it thickening up.
Once it’s able to be rolled into a little ball and keep its shape after being completely cooled by the ice cube, I know it’s ready!
I hope this helps in one form or another, as they are super delicious when soft and creamy! Good luck!
My wife used this recipe but the it keeps coming out to hard how can we fix this
Hi Joshua, are you all using a candy thermometer? Caramel is very picky and easily over or undercook. This caramel needs to get to the firm ball stage. If it’s coming out harder, then it is most likely overcooked and made it to the hard crack stage (more for toffee or brittle). We hope this helps!
I’m new to making caramel. Can they be re-melted to drizzle on cookies or fill a thumb print type cookie?
Hi Jaime, thank you for your question! For thumbprint cookies, you can use this caramel, but we would recommend adding it to cookies once it’s partially cooled, but not waiting for it to totally set and then remelting. This recipe cooks caramel to the firm ball stage which isn’t ideal for drizzling. For that, we would recommend a caramel sauce like this dairy-free caramel. We hope this helps!
Do you stir while you’ve had your condensed milk in and waiting to reach the desired temp?
Hi Courtney, yes you’ll want to stir this caramel constantly while cooking. We hope you enjoy!
The most amazing caramels EVER! These bad boys are better than store bought hands down. They take some time to make and wrap, but it is well worth it. I have made these for multiple occasions and everyone always goes running for them. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Wow, thank you for such amazing feedback, Aurora! It makes us so happy to hear that this recipe has become such a go-to and loved by so many!
Is this recipe good to make turtles
Hi Julie, oh that sounds delicious! We haven’t tried that before to say for sure. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Old church recipe books are the best! My husband and I love them and can’t believe how many the recipe makes! Can I freeze them if I wrap them in parchment paper and then vacuum seal them? Thank you!
Hi Kim, we’re so glad you and your husband loved the caramels! Thank you for your kind feedback! Yes, freezing them like that should work well.
Is it possible to get this recipe in grams and ml for us folks across the pond, pretty please?
Hello! The ingredients list has been updated with grams and ml. We hope you enjoy the caramels!