8-Minute Microwave Salted Caramels
For a wonderful gift-giving idea, wrap up some 8-Minute Microwave Salted Caramels! They are a delicious treat that everyone will enjoy! And, they take minutes (okay, 8 minutes) to make! Doing the happy dance…
You all know that I love salted caramel sauce and caramel candies. I’ve been extolling their virtues for years. What I didn’t realize is that I can make these in the microwave!! What this saves in cleaning sticky pots and pans is priceless. And, you don’t have to worry about burning it (you know how if you step away from the cooktop at an inopportune moment, your caramels become ash?). Worry no more!
These caramels have the wonderful depth of flavor created from dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar. Add to that flakey sea salt and these are sure to become a favorite.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add corn syrup, granulated & dark brown sugars, sweetened condensed milk and salt and whisk it until combined.
Cook it on high power for 7 minutes and quickly stir it. Check to see if it’s ready by placing a small spoonful of caramel into a bowl of ice water. It should form a soft, pliable ball. If it doesn’t, microwave in short increments until it reaches this “soft ball” stage. You can also use an instant-read thermometer which should register 240-242°F.
Once at the right temperature, add the vanilla extract and stir.
Pour the caramel into a prepared baking pan, let it cool for 10 minutes and then sprinkle it with flakey sea salt. Don’t salt it right away as the salt will sink into the soft caramel.
Let the caramel cool in the fridge until it is completely cool and set. Cut into pieces and wrap in wax paper or parchment.
Show your friends how much you adore them by gifting them a box or bag of these delicious treats!
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8-Minute Microwave Salted Caramels
Makes: 48 pieces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes plus cooling time 3-4 hours
Ingredients
- 6 ounces salted butter
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray then line with parchment paper so that two two ends extended over two edges of the pan. Spray the parchment with cooking spray also. Set aside. Prepare a small bowl of water with a few ice cubes and set aside.
Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and cover with a paper towel. Cook on high power for one minute. Butter should be mostly melted. Add corn syrup, sugars, sweetened condensed milk and salt and whisk well to combine.
Cook on high power for 7 minutes. Remove and give mixture a quick stir then check for doneness by placing a bit (a small spoonful) of the caramel into the prepared bowl of ice water. It should form a soft, pliable ball. If it needs a little more time (it doesn’t form a soft ball), return to microwave and heat in 15-20 second increments, till soft ball stage is reached. Mine was done at right around 8 minutes but time will will vary a bit based on the wattage of your microwave. You can also check with an instant thermometer which should register 240-242˚F (240˚ will yield a softer caramel and 242˚ firmer. Carefully remove bowl from microwave (it will be hot). Add vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract and stir with a heat resistant spatula until foaming subsides.
Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then sprinkle top lightly with flaky sea salt. If you sprinkle with sea salt right away, the salt will melt right into the caramels rather than sitting on the top.
Allow to cool for 3-4 hours or refrigerate until completely cool and set. Cut into rectangular pieces (I cut into rows about ½-inch wide and then cut each row into three equal pieces). A pizza cutter works wonderful for cutting caramels. Wrap in rectangles of wax paper, parchment or pre-cut candy wrappers and twist on both ends.
Recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine
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