These Honey and Vanilla Bean Homemade Caramels are oh so merry and bright! Gift wrapped for the holidays, these buttery and sweet caramels are surprisingly easy to make and are wonderful (and delicious) gifts.
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Melt in your mouth honey and vanilla salted caramel
When I think of the holidays, my mind turns to the rich, sweet, and warm flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, honey, and peppermint. There are many desserts that capture holiday magic in every bite, like Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Cupcakes and Chewy Molasses Cookies, but these Honey and Vanilla Bean Homemade Caramels are truly something special!
Perfectly sweet, buttery, and smooth, these homemade caramels are flavored with honey and vanilla beans. Making caramel at home can feel intimidating, but I promise you it’s as easy as dumping all of the ingredients into a pot and monitoring the temperature! Wrap the delicious candies in wax paper when they’re done and give them away as sweet and tasty holiday gifts.
Salted caramel candy ingredients
- Heavy cream - You won’t always find heavy cream in caramel recipes but the fat adds wonderful flavors and softness to the finished result. I don’t recommend replacing it with milk due to the difference in fat and water content.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar is best.
- Corn syrup - Light corn syrup is an interfering agent in caramel, as it prevents sugar crystals from forming.
- Honey - Use organic or local honey for the absolute best flavors.
- Vanilla - A vanilla bean or vanilla extract both work well in this recipe.
- Salt - Because salted caramel has so much depth and pops of flavor.
- Unsalted butter - The butter will cool the caramel slightly and prevent it from cooking any longer in the pot. Make sure you use unsalted butter instead of salted so that you have complete control in how salty your caramels are.
How to make homemade caramels
Add the cream, sugar, honey, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla to a large pot over medium heat. The bigger the pot, the better!
Monitor the temperature using a candy thermometer. Keep cooking the mixture until it reaches 248ºF.
As soon as it comes up to temperature, take the pot off of the heat and add the butter. Gently stir everything together.
Pour the caramel sauce into a parchment-lined baking pan. Top with sea salt. Let the caramel sit out for at least 8 hours or overnight to set before cutting.
How to cut and gift wrap caramels
The best part of making your own caramels is that you can cut them into any shape or size you like! Cut and wrap the caramels as gifts for the holidays:
- When the caramel is set, remove it from the pan onto a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to cut the caramels into small bite-sized squares (or any shape you like).
- Wear gloves to wrap each caramel in small pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. Twist the ends to seal them closed.
Tips for the best homemade caramels
- Watch the temperature - Don’t walk away or get distracted when making this caramels recipe! This could lead to it burning.
- Use a candy thermometer - It’s the only way the ensure the caramel sauce has reached the optimal temperature of 248ºF.
- Use a big pot - Caramel has the tendency of foaming up as it cooks, so use a large heavy-bottomed pot so the foam doesn’t spill over.
- Always grease and line the baking pan - Because there’s nothing more heartbreaking than caramel stuck to your baking pan.
- Wear gloves to wrap - Even clean hands can leave fingerprints when you’re handling or wrapping malleable caramel candy, which isn’t so great if you’re giving them away as gifts.
- Have patience - You’ll need it while you wait for the caramel to set. Wait at least 8 hours before taking it out of the pan.
Frequently asked questions
I don’t recommend it. Corn syrup acts as an interfering agent which prevents the sugars from crystallizing as they cook which could leave a coarse, grainy texture to your caramels
Note that if your caramel is feeling quite soft, you may have needed to cook your caramel a bit longer, exactly to 248 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the butter. Similarly, if your caramels came out too hard, you may have cooked them a bit too long! Monitoring the temperature of your caramels can be a bit mundane, but incredibly important for the perfect caramel chew and texture
The caramel will be quite malleable when you’re handling or wrapping them. If it’s too soft to work with, place the candy in the fridge for about 45 minutes to 1 hour so they harden slightly.
Once they’re cut and wrapped, the leftover caramels will stay fresh at room temperature for up to a few months, and longer if kept in the fridge!
Here are more festive holiday treats!
- Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, and Toffee Macarons
- Pastel Holiday Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Cacao Nib Marshmallows
- Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Cupcakes
- Vin Chaud (French Mulled Wine)
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try these caramels, please leave a review or share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Salted Honey & Vanilla Bean Caramels
Equipment
- Gloves (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 Cups + 2.5 Tbsp (500 g) Heavy Cream
- 2 ½ Cups (500 g) Sugar
- 2.5 Tablespoons Honey
- ¾ Cup + 2 tsp (292 g) Light Corn Syrup
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ One Vanilla Bean, Scraped, or 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30 g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 2 Tablespoons Flakey Sea Salt
Instructions
- Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by greasing with butter and lining with parchment paper.
- Add your cream, sugar, honey, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla beans in a large heavy-bottomed pot.2 Cups + 2.5 tablespoon Heavy Cream, 2 ½ Cups Sugar, 2.5 Tablespoons Honey, ¾ Cup + 2 teaspoon Light Corn Syrup, ¼ Teaspoon Salt, ½ One Vanilla Bean, Scraped
- As the caramel starts to cook it will bubble and rise significantly, so make sure the pot you use is large. I personally use a 5.5 qt dutch oven.
- Place the dutch oven onto the stove and turn on the heat to medium-low. Stir the ingredients to combine as they start to warm with a spatula.
- Monitoring with a candy thermometer, continue to cook contents until you’ve reached 248 degrees Fahrenheit. This should take approximately 20 minutes,
- Once your caramel has reached 248 degrees, immediately stir in the butter which will slightly cool the caramel and prevent it from cooking any longer.2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Once the butter has fully incorporated, pour into an 8x8 baking pan lined with parchment and coated in baking spray or butter so that the caramel does not stick.
- Top with flaky sea salt 10 minutes after the caramel has been poured into the pan. This allows the caramel to set slightly on the top so that the salt does not sink into the caramel.2 Tablespoons Flakey Sea Salt
- Let sit for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight so that it sets completely.
- Remove caramel from the pan and place on a cutting board
- Using a sharp knife, cut caramels into the size of your choosing. Then, wrap with small squares of parchment paper.
- Note that because the caramel is so malleable, your fingerprints will appear if you don’t use gloves. As I love to give these caramels as gifts, I prefer to use gloves so that my fingerprints are not noticeable even if I am using clean hands.
Video
Notes
- Can you make homemade caramel without corn syrup? I don’t recommend it. Corn syrup acts as an interfering agent which prevents the sugars from crystallizing as they cook which could leave a coarse, grainy texture to your caramels
- Why is my caramel so soft/hard? The caramel will be quite malleable when you’re handling or wrapping them. If it’s too soft to work with, place the candy in the fridge for about 45 minutes to 1 hour so they harden slightly. Note that if your caramel is feeling quite soft, you may have needed to cook your caramel a bit longer, exactly to 248 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the butter. Similarly, if your caramels came out too hard, you may have cooked them a bit too long! Monitoring the temperature of your caramels can be a bit mundane, but incredibly important for the perfect caramel chew and texture.
- How long do homemade caramels last? Once they’re cut and wrapped, the leftover caramels will stay fresh at room temperature for up to a few months, and longer if kept in the fridge!
- Watch the temperature - Don’t walk away or get distracted when making this caramels recipe! This could lead to it burning.
- Use a candy thermometer - It’s the only way the ensure the caramel sauce has reached the optimal temperature of 248ºF.
- Use a big pot - Caramel has the tendency of foaming up as it cooks, so use a large heavy-bottomed pot so the foam doesn’t spillover.
- Always grease and line the baking pan - Because there’s nothing more heartbreaking than caramel stuck to your baking pan.
- Wear gloves to wrap - Even clean hands can leave fingerprints when you’re handling or wrapping malleable caramel candy, which isn’t so great if you’re giving them away as gifts.
- Have patience - You’ll need it while you wait for the caramel to set. Wait at least 8 hours before taking it out of the pan.
Dairy Free Girl
My sister-in-law is dairy free but I would love to make her a batch of caramels similar to this for Christmas. Have you tested any dairy-free subs for the heavy cream?
Emily
Sadly I haven't tested these caramels using a dairy free substitute! If I test them this holiday season I'll make sure to add a note within the post with my results - thanks for the question!