Photo: Fleur de Sel Caramels Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Prep the pan.
Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil.
Boil the sugar.
In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches deep), combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir -- just swirl the pan.
Heat the cream.
In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Finish the caramel.
When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful -- it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.
Fill the pan.
Very carefully (it's hot!) pour the caramel into the prepared pan and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.
Cut the caramel.
When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square in half.
Roll it up.
Starting with a long side, roll the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log.
Cut into pieces.
Sprinkle the log with fleur de sel, trim the ends and cut into 8 pieces. (Start by cutting the log in half, then continue cutting each piece in half until you have 8 equal pieces.) It's easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil like corn oil.
Wrap the candies.
Cut glassine or parchment paper into 4-by-5-inch pieces and wrap each caramel individually, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.
Photograph by Quentin Bacon
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By Skip Intro
Puget Sound
on February 13, 2013
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Delicious buttery smooth caramels which are perfect for Valentine's Day!
I only had salted butter so I decreased the salt a tiny bit to adjust. I added 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to ward off any evil crystalization spirits.
I allowed the syrup mixture to get to 350 degrees before I added the cream mixture. I then cooked over med-low heat until it reached 248 degrees.
The texture is marvelous. This will be my go to recipe for my husband's yearly Valentine treat :
By FUF33
on January 27, 2013
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I've made these caramels about 20 times now and they are a hit every time. I usually skip the part about refrigerating them to cool completely and just let them cool at room tempature on the counter. I find that it makes them easier to cut without the caramels cracking. Also, wrapping is tedious so I found pre-cut candy wrappers at Micheals that are cheap and a huge time saver. Now, making a lot of these is a easy!
By ChristineLA
on January 11, 2013
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Okay, here's the truth after making this recipe four times. It will take you longer than the stated times. For real. If you make it from the point you add the cream/butter/fleur de sel to the sugar/water/corn syrup to hard ball in 10 minutes, you have performed a miracle. No, really, you have. I've not done it in under 20 minutes yet, despite REALLY trying. Notwithstanding, this recipe is amazing, and anyone you gift it to or serve it to will be blown away! Like I said, I've made it four times.
Also, don't attempt this without a candy thermometer. There is absolutely no way to tell when you have reached hard ball, since "smells like it's burning" comes before hard ball, apparently.
This is not one of those recipes where you say to yourself, "I don't have heavy cream, so I'll just use the tears of a moose", honestly. If you don't have the ingredients as listed, don't even attempt this one.
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