Salted Caramels Recipe (2024)

Is there anything better than homemade candies? Our Salted Caramels Recipe results in silky smooth, irresistible bites anyone can make.

I get it; making candy seems extremely intimidating, and before I tried it myself, I thought the exact same thing! Our Salted Caramels Recipe makes the process super approachable; just check it out for yourself below.

I love caramel! I actually prefer hot caramel on ice cream to hot fudge, but you didn’t hear that from me! wink wink

I don’t know why, but everyone is so surprised when I tell them that, ha!

With this brand new information, it should come as no surprise to you that I also love caramel candy and adding some flakey sea salt on top…. ahh, just Heaven!

I especially love to make this recipe to give as a gift, be it around the holidays, for birthdays, or just because. If I think one of my friends is feeling a little down, I make this sweet treat to try and cheer them up.

And wouldn’t you know it, I get asked for the recipe almost every single time. I’ve actually started printing a copy to give it along with my little gift!

That’s just how good our Salted Caramels Recipe is, and I bet you will get the exact same response. Why don’t you go ahead and give it a try, you will NOT be disappointed.

Some of our other favorite candy recipes we have on our site include: Turtle Candy, Potato Candy, and Slow Cooker Peanut Clusters.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

1. Uses simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
2. Use as a base for other recipes.
3. Everyone loves them, so they are perfect for gift-giving.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE):

• Salted butter
• Light brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Light corn syrup
• Heavy cream
• Vanilla extract
• Flake sea salt

HOW TO MAKE SALTED CARAMELS RECIPE:

1. Using a 9×13 baking dish, line it with foil or parchment paper. Take some butter and generously grease the foil/paper. Set the dish aside.
2. Place the salted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and light corn syrup into a dutch oven or medium to large pot. Place over medium heat and constantly stir until the sugars melt and boil for about 10 minutes.
3. Once the mixture is at a boil, very, very slowly add the heavy cream. I mean slow, add about 1 teaspoon at a time, and constantly stir; you want the mixture to be boiling the entire time. This step can take 20-30 minutes to add all the cream.
4. Continue to boil the mixture and stir constantly. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot while doing so until the mixture comes to 240-245°F. I like to use a candy thermometer for this.
5. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

6. Immediately pour the caramel into the prepared baking dish. Let it sit out at room temperature until completely cooled.
7. Refrigerate until hardened, 4-6 hours or overnight is best. Take the caramels out by lifting the foil or parchment paper out of the dish and then cut them into small pieces.
8. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and serve immediately.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

HOW LONG DO THESE LAST?

These need to be stored in the refrigerator because of the ingredients, so right away, that helps extend the shelf life.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge; these little cuties will last up to 1 week.

These also freeze beautifully and will last in the freezer for up to 3 months! Scroll down below to our “How To Store” section for more information on preserving this recipe.

DO THESE MAKE GOOD GIFTS?

These absolutely make amazing gifts.

You really don’t know the effect giving a homemade gift to a loved one will bring. Immediately they get those huge smiles on their face, with hugs all around.

It shows how much you care by taking the time to make something other than just buying them more “stuff”.

These caramels are no exception, they are a well loved treat. I love to wrap each portion in a piece of wax paper, place it in a decorative tin that is refrigerator safe, and give them that way.

Not only can they enjoy the candies, but they have a cute little tin to use afterward.

WHAT KIND OF SALT IS BEST TO USE?

I personally love to use flakey Maldon sea salt.

I like this especially because of the large flakes, they will sit on top and tend not to melt in as fast, leaving a slight crunch right on top.

I love that little pop of salt, followed by the sweetness of the caramel.

However, you can use other types of salt, such as:

• Kosher salt
• Fine sea salt
• Pink Himalayan salt

Just keep in mind the smaller the grains of salt, the more “salty” the salt. I know that sounds funny, just think of it as how it will disperse over the candy.

Can’t you imagine a finer grain of salt is dense and not airy like kosher or flakey sea salt? This way, the finer the salt, you actually use more since there is no air around it to bulk up the volume of the salt crystals, resulting in a saltier taste overall.

So, with that being said, if you are using a fine grain of salt, use much less, and taste as you go to get the perfect amount to your taste.

And you can even leave out the salt topping all together if you want, no biggie!

CAN I MAKE ADDITIONAL RECIPES FROM THIS?

You can!

Instead of letting the caramel cool into a block that you cut into pieces, you can use it for dipping.

Dip pretzels, nuts, whatever you want into this!

You can also make pretzel bars or nut bars by stirring them in the same step you add the vanilla, then continue on with the rest of the recipe.

WHAT TEXTURE ARE THEY?

These have different textures depending on what temperature you serve them.

At room temperature, they are soft and slightly chewy and melt in your mouth.

Right out of the fridge, they are chewier and melt slower.

I’ve even enjoyed them right out of the freezer, they are definitely harder to chew, so I like to kind of suck on them like hard candy, and they melt this way wonderfully.

Any way you serve them, they’re delicious!

HOW TO STORE:

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Store leftovers with pieces of wax paper between the layers, so they don’t stick.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

Place leftovers in the freezer in a freezer-safe container, again with pieces of wax paper in between. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight.

Looking for that perfect sweet treat to enjoy and give as gifts? Our Salted Caramel Recipe is an irresistible little bite everyone will love.

If you’ve tried this SALTED CARAMELS RECIPE, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!