Caramel - A Building Block of Pastry
An easy to make homemade caramel that goes from sauce to hard candy with just a change to the degree to which it is cooked. You'll never go back to bought caramel again!
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 1339kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup corn syrup
- 1 ¼ cups sugar (250 grams or 8 ¾ ounces)
- 4 tablespoons butter (56 grams or 2 ounces)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Heat the cream until hot to make it easier to mix with the sugar syrup. Set aside.
- Place the water, sugar, and corn syrup in a 2-quart saucepan.
- Stir over heat until the sugar is dissolved completely. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and continue boiling. Alternatively wash the sides of pan down with a natural bristle pastry brush dipped in cold water.
- Boil without stirring until the mixture becomes a medium golden color.
- Off heat, immediately add the butter to the saucepan and stir until it is melted.
- Pour the cream in all at once and stir. If some of the cream lumps up, don’t worry.
- Clip a thermometer onto the side of the pan if possible.
- Return to medium high heat and bring to a hard boil.
- Cook to the correct temperature on a candy thermometer as directed in the recipe. Cool in the pan then pour into a storage container.
- This may be made weeks ahead and refrigerated. To use, bring to room temperature. If still a bit stiff, microwave, briefly to soften.
Notes
It is important to wash down the sides of the pan after the sugar, water and corn syrup initially boil. If any granules of sugar are left undissolved there is a risk of the caramel becoming grainy upon cooling or after it is stored.
Nutrition
Calories: 1339kcal | Carbohydrates: 194g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 42g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 129mg | Sugar: 194g | Vitamin A: 2449IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 0.2mg