Description
Make perfect homemade caramels in the microwave with zero fuss. Rich, buttery, and ready in minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- sea salt (optional, for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Grease an 8×8 inch pan or line it with parchment paper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir well.
- Microwave on high for 6–7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until bubbling and thick. Perform a soft ball test after 6 minutes; if it doesn’t form a soft ball in cold water, microwave for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- The soft ball test is when a small drop of hot caramel is placed into cold water, forming a pliable ball that flattens easily between your fingers, indicating the caramel is ready.
- Once done, stir in vanilla bean paste and pour the caramel into the prepared pan, sprinkle with sea salt and let it cool for 2 hours until set.
- Cut into squares and enjoy! For best results, let the caramels sit out of the fridge for 5-10 minutes before cutting with a sharp, greased knife to avoid sticking.
Notes
- Store caramels in an airtight container.
- These caramels can be wrapped in wax paper for gifting.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 72 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg