Home Made Amish Caramel Candy Recipe
Amish caramel melts in your tongue and is soft and delicious. It is the ideal confection to serve to visitors or give as a gift. Making candy at home has never been simpler, with just a few basic materials and a little time.
Amish Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup corn syrup
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, butter, and ¼ cup of cream. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
- While continuing to stir, add the remaining cream. Insert a candy thermometer and while constantly stirring, bring to the soft ball stage. Around 240°F, the sugar syrup will turn transparent and boil rapidly.
- When it hits 240°F remove caramel from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into the prepared baking pan.
- While still warm, use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles that rise to the top. Allow to cool overnight.
- Use a thin knife or small offset spatula to loosen the caramel block from the pan. Transfer the block to a cutting board and cut into desired size and shape. Wrap individually in wax paper if desired.
For as long as I can remember, this candy has been a mainstay in the family. A time warp is the delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sweets. It always makes you come back. People frequently give me a sidelong glance when I tell them that this recipe for Amish caramel is not that hard to make.
However, it is the reality; if you give it some time, you will be delighted with the outcome. It’s the ideal low-key present. Share a few of these with your loved ones by putting them in a nice bag!
How To Make Amish Caramel Candy?
One of the most frequent queries I receive from people is how to make the ideal soft caramel. It all comes down to reaching the softball stage when cooking if you will. The water starts to boil, and the concentration of sugar grows as the sugar syrup cooks and the temperature rises.
The caramels reach the “soft ball” stage at 240˚ Fahrenheit. This implies that a tiny amount of the candy will solidify into a soft ball when submerged in cold water. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can perform this cold water test to determine whether your sweets are ready.
Temperatures of Candy
When creating candy for the first time, it helps to know how quickly the temperature attained during boiling affects the candy’s structure. Should you be preparing candy for the first time, the accompanying chart should be helpful.
Stage of the Thread: At this point, you will have a syrup-like consistency that you might be able to pour over ice cream.
Stage for Soft Ball: 235˚-240˚: When submerged in cold water, this stage will have the consistency of a soft, pliable ball. It is ideal for fudge or caramel.
Stage of Firm-Ball: When submerged in cold water, a 245˚–250˚ object will have the consistency of a solid ball with a bit of give. If you prefer your caramels a little firmer, this is also an excellent stage for them.
Stage Hard-Ball: 250˚-265˚: When submerged in cold water, this will have the consistency of a hard ball. Gummies or rock candy work well at this stage.
Stage of Soft Cracking: The bubbles on top will get thinner, thicker, and closer together between 270˚ and 290˚. At this point, the majority of the moisture has baked out. It will crystallize into threads that will flex slightly before breaking if dropped into cold water. For saltwater taffy, this is an ideal stage.
Stage of Hard Cracking: When submerged in cold water, 300˚–310˚ will give rise to strong, brittle threads that shatter when bent. This works best for Toffee.
Hints, Techniques, and Modifications
This recipe requires a candy thermometer. If you don’t already have one, you can get one on Amazon.
Wilton Candy Thermometer with Side Clamp for Melting Chocolate and Hard Candy Sugar, 14.7-inches
Trick 1: To prevent the fingers from becoming overly sticky, wrap each one separately in wax paper.
Trick 2: If you leave these in a heated environment, they will likely to get a little gooey. To prevent them from melting, store them at a lower temperature!
Alternatives: For a truly unique treat, dip these in dark chocolate and sprinkle them with sea salt!