I love the holidays! It gives me an excuse to spend (even more!) time in the kitchen making snacks and treats for everyone on my list.
Caramels are one of my favorite candies to make for gift giving. Each batch makes a zillion candies, and with a trusty thermometer and a careful eye, they’re super easy to make. This year, I’ve upped my game and made a batch of caramels that are spiked with a hint of bourbon and sweetened with honey.
Soft, chewy and buttery, the caramels are topped with a sprinkle of salt to balance the sweetness of the sugar and honey.
The key to making perfect caramels is to use a candy thermometer that you’re sure is calibrated correctly. To test your thermometer, place it in boiling water for 10 minutes. If it doesn’t read 212ºF then adjust the temperature as needed to cook the candy to right temperature.
Bourbon and Honey Salted Caramels
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours 35 mins
- Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 64 Pieces 1x
- Category: Candy
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1 vanilla bean
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- Coarse Kosher salt, if desired
Instructions
- Lightly coat an 8×8″ baking pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2″ overhang on 2 sides; spray parchment. Split vanilla bean pod lengthwise into halves. Scrape out seeds with a small knife; set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cream, honey and vanilla bean pod (but not the seeds). Cook about 35 minutes, stirring frequently, to 245°F on candy thermometer or until a small amount of caramel mixture dropped in a cup of ice water forms a firm ball and holds its shape until pressed. Carefully fish out and discard the vanilla bean pod. Remove from heat and whisk in butter, bourbon, vanilla seeds and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cool completely, about 4 hours.
- Life the caramels out with parchment paper to a large cutting board. Cut caramels into 8 rows by 8 rows. Sprinkle each caramel with salt and wrap individually in wax paper or parchment paper. Store wrapped caramels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Caramel
- Calories: 63
- Sugar: 7.9g
- Sodium: 21.2mg
- Fat: 3.5g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.3g
- Carbohydrates: 8.1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0.2g
- Cholesterol: 12.1mg
What’s your favorite food gift?
A few more delicious holiday treats to check out…
The Essentials of Caramel Making from Martha Stewart
Salted Pistachio Brittle from The Kitchn
Chocolate Saltine Toffee from Averie Cooks
Almond Roca from Tasty Kitchen
