1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup dark rum
additional sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Directions:
Thoroughly grease 2 loaf pans or one 8×8 inch baking dish. Bring cream, butter, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan, whisking occasionally to dissolve the salt, then remove from heat and set aside. Cook the rum, corn syrup, and sugar in a heavy saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until mixture is a light golden caramel. Carefully add the cream mixture and simmer, stirring frequently, until candy reaches 245 degrees(soft-ball stage). If you were to drop a bit of the mixture into a cup of cold water it should form a soft but obvious ball at this stage. The ball should be about the texture you’d want the final caramel to be. Pour into prepared pan(s) and allow to cool. Slice into 1×1 inch squares. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
My thoughts:
These are particularly decadent, creamy and flavorful caramels. Caramels are impressive to give but fairly easy to make, the trick is not to over cook the caramel so it becomes hard. Of course, if you do overcook it, you can just say you meant to make toffee and dip it in chocolate.
Got to love homemade caramels.
How would you go about storing these if they were not going to be eaten right away? They look like an excellent possibility for wedding favors!
Meghan- I think they would be fine for a few days if you stored them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
I like the sweet & salty presentation of these treats. Is there a special type of saucepan that you recommend (i.e., heavy-bottomed, non-stick)?
Jen- Nothing special, as I said in the directions, just a heavy saucepan will do.
They’re really pretty. Would golden syrup work instead of corn syrup? We recently came across it, and it’d be interesting to try.
Duodishes:
No it wouldn’t.
Duodishes:
No it wouldn’t.
Those look sublime!!! Sweet and salty is one of those combos that I crave.
I’m allergic to corn syrup.
can this be done with another type?
Diane
There really is no good subsitution.
These have been on my to-make list for ages! Looks great.
I’ve been having a hard time getting sugar to carmelize in a nonstick pot. So, mine came out a little light, but still had a very complex flavor. (I also used cognac instead of rum because I was able to buy a little 2 oz bottle at the liquor store.) Thanks Rachel!
-Aly (Matt’s neighbor from SI)
I made these today, and mine were a little too soft ( I know I didn’t get them quite up to 245 ), but still very tasty. Thanks.