Recipe review: Homemade Caramels by Tastes better from scratch

In the spirit of the coming holidays, I decided to try out a recipe for homemade caramels.

When I was younger, my mum would buy a large jar of caramel candies. I would share them with my brothers and I remember this so vividly because I loved these caramel treats. Eventually my taste changed slightly and my love for sweets moved from caramel to chocolate.

In fact, the initial thought of making caramels came to me when I decided to bake caramel-stuffed chocolate cookies. I needed to make the caramel candies myself so that I could guarantee the softness of the caramels even after they had been baked inside to cookies.

I chose to make and review this recipe for 2 reasons.

1. This recipe uses evaporated milk instead of cream (I had only milk at the time).

2. The picture on the website convinced me.  The caramels looked so delicious.

Here is what I think of the Homemade Caramels recipe by Tastes better from scratch

The recipe and Instructions

The recipe for making these homemade caramels calls for simple ingredients that you probably have already. The ingredient you may not have in your pantry is 'corn syrup'. However, you need it to make  this recipe.

Any sugar or candy tutorial requires in depth and detailed explanations. This is because, working with sugar is tricky and numerous things can go wrong. The instructions for making this recipe were perfect. The way things should be added was stated. The period of time each stage of the cooking process would take was stated as well. Hence, this recipe is great for amateurs at working with sugar.

While most candy or sweets recipes require that you use a thermometer. Here, they explain how to test for doneness even if you do not have a candy thermometer.

Lastly, to help those who have little understanding of what color the candy should have or what the cooking process looks like, there is a video showing how to make Homemade caramels on the website.

The texture

Caramel candies vary in texture. Sometimes, they are quite hard and chewy. But, when the caramel is not cooked long enough, the caramel may stay in a liquid state or melt at room temperature.

In the instructions, it is recommended that you boil your caramel until it reaches 238 degrees F. I boiled my caramel till it reached 240 degrees F simply because its quite hot where i live. When it reached 240 degrees F, I did the cold water test.

After leaving the caramel to set overnight, I cut them into small pieces.

The result was a chewy but soft caramel that did not hurt my teeth. The top of the caramel became slightly melted after being at room temperature for a few hours.

The next time that I make this recipe, I will cook the caramel a bit longer so that it stays hard at room temperature..

On the plus side, crystallization did not occur even when the caramel was at room temperature.

The taste

This tasted like a simple caramel candy. It was buttery, and sweet. However this candy does not have any frills and extra flavors.

You can add other flavors and spices to the homemade caramels recipe from Tastes better from scratch. This can help you get various flavor variations of your caramel candy.

When using liquids to flavor your caramel, you will need to be cautious of the amount of liquid you use.

Note: To alter the flavor of the caramel, you can use extracts or infuse your milk before making your caramels.

Do I recommend the Homemade Caramels recipe by Tastes better from scratch ?

Yes, I recommend this recipe. Making this recipe takes time and you will need to stir constantly but, it is worth the effort. Once you master this recipe, you will be able to flavor it differently, use dry add ins, and enrobe your caramels in chocolate.

The is the perfect base recipe for caramel candy. Significantly, you must take the weather of the place you reside in into consideration while cooking your caramel.

The holidays are upon us, make a large quantity of these and share them with family and friends.

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