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.
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.
How long do you have to wait before you can cut them
I usually wait until they are completely cool – so a few hours!
Hello I made the caramels according to your recipe but mine haven’t hardened up at all since I finished hours ago. Am I suppose to stick them in the fridge? Did I not cook it long enough? Something’s definitely wrong. Also the picture of the old recipe says 2 1/2 cups of kari syrup, I only used 2 cups. Could that be the issue?
Hi Colleen! The 2 1/2 cups karo syrup in the picture is actually for a nougat recipe right underneath the caramel recipe. I would guess that your candy thermometer isn’t totally accurate and the mixture didn’t hit 238F. This has happened to me when I undercooked the caramels and they never firm up. A good way to make sure this doesn’t happen is the “water test” where you spoon some of the caramel into a small bowl of cold water to make sure it forms a soft ball before you stop cooking the caramels. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you!
Just made these and I have a quick question… When I was almost done with the evaporated milk, I noticed the caramel kind of “broke.” Like it wasn’t creamy and smooth anymore and there were small granules in it. I thought right away that I ruined it and maybe the consistency once it dries will be gritty. Is this normal? Does anyone know why this happened??
Stir like crazy!! It will come back together and not be grainy.
Hello Kim,
I saw your post and I had to chime in! The problem you had was using evaporated milk instead of condensed milk. I have made the same mistake before too. Hope this helps.
Hi Patrick, I’m not sure if that was a typo, but evaporated milk is correct, Sir. Sweetened condensed milk is the correct type of milk to use for this recipe.
Just FYI this recipe needs evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. Evaporated milk is the way to go!
Can these be melted after the fact?
I’ve always worked with caramel sauce, not the candies but I’m trying to find something I can make to melt in hot cocoa but not be gooey at room temp. Thanks!
My mom always added vanilla ice cream to our hot cocoa because it would be too hot. I thought she was brilliant it was so awesome that way. It makes the cocoa the perfect temperature plus the creamy ice cream is delicious. Great for coming in after sledding to have some hot cocoa with ice cream in it. I miss my mom she was awesome.
Wish I had a candy thermometer! They look so good!!
Is there anyway to make these without having to go to the store for a candy thermometer
I wish there was but even after making these almost every year I still can’t do it without the thermometer! A lot of people swear by the “water test” for soft ball where you spoon some of the caramel into a small bowl of cold water to make sure it forms a soft ball before you stop cooking the caramels. I usually do this in conjunction with a thermometer because it can be hard to tell how done they are otherwise!
Just wondering if you have ever tried doubling this. I have a large enough copper pot and have thought about it a few times. This recipe has saved me so much over buying caramel to use for candy making and friends have told me that think it is better.
I Thank YOU so much for sharing this with us.
I’m so glad you like this recipe! I have never tried doubling it myself – but I imagine it would take a lot more stirring! Let me know if you try it 🙂
Do you use white or brown sugar? Thanks
White sugar!
I was looking for a caramel recipe to make turtle bark. I was a little concerned about all the stirring as I was under the impression that you don’t stir candy once all ingredients are added and it’s boiling but I decided to give it a go. Took forever as the temp got stuck at 220 and wouldn’t budge for over 40 minutes so I raised the heat slightly and off we went. It turned out wonderfully and not only did I have enough to make two half sheets of turtle bark but also got 40 individual caramels. I’m not a baker or candy maker so if I can pull this off, I think most anyone could.
Thanks for sharing your Grandma’s recipe.
I’m so glad it turned out for you! Turtle bark sounds delicious!
These are absolutely perfect! I can’t stress enough to check the calibration of your thermometer as suggested. Brand new candy thermometer that was off my 7 degrees so used my Thermo-pen and I still check its accuracy. Well worth the stirring…and once it hits 230F. pay close attention because it climbs rather quickly.
That is a great tip! I actually made these using my thermapen this weekend as well and it is helpful because sometimes even accurate candy thermometers can be hard to read. So glad they turned out!
I made this caramel today. Super easy to make.
It is delicious! It will definitely compliment my homemade turtles.
Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe.
I’m so glad you like it! Homemade turtles sounds delicious!
I am using mine for turtles also. My brother in law says they are better than any he’s ever had and he tries them everywhere he sees them.
I’m glad they worked out for your turtles! 🙂
These caramels are amazing! Even my hubby who doesn’t like other caramels loves these ones! What is the best way to cut them into pieces?
Hooray I’m so glad you like them! I like to use buttered or oiled kitchen scissors. I hope that helps!
In my family, we use a slightly buttered pizza cutter!
The recipe looks great! Can’t wait to try it! When you say 2 sticks of butter, what is that in cups? I never know if they’re talking about the short sticks or the longer ones. Thanks!
Sorry for the confusion! It should be 1 cup of butter. I’ve updated the recipe!
This looks just like the recipe from my mom’s Good Housekeeping cookbook I made when I was little–can’t wait to try it.
I have made about 7 batches of these in the last week. People have started buying them from me for $14 for 2lbs. I have made chocolate drizzled, apple, regular, vanilla and toffee. People love them.
How did you wrap them? You mentioned “apple” and “toffee”, how do you do that? I make caramel apples for a company in October. Just curious. Thanks, D. LaPlante. Facebook me if you like.