Honey Caramels

Adam and I had never been successful at producing homemade soft caramels before we tested this recipe. We'd previously tried Gale Gand's recipe for Butter Caramels, but always seemed to overheat the sugar. In my search for caramel made with honey, I discovered a recipe for honey caramels from a 1940s Puerto Rican cookbook, on which I based this one. The instructions called for caramelizing honey and sugar with the butter and cream, which I believe has been the key to our success. Adam pronounced these candies "a lot better than Kraft Caramels."

6 T butter
¾ c honey
¾ c heavy cream

1. Line an 8x8 pan with foil or parchment, letting the edges hang over the sides of the pan. Grease lightly.
2. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add honey and cream. Stir until well blended.
3. Reduce head to medium low and let boil until it has darkened slightly and the temperature has reached 248°F or a bit of the mixture dropped into ice water forms a solid ball that can be flattened with your fingers.
4. Pour into an prepared pan and let cool completely.
5. Grasp edges of liner and remove caramel from pan. Cut into 2-in by ⅔-in pieces (4 pieces by 12 pieces).
6. Wrap candies individually in squares of waxed paper. Store at room temperature.

Variation: Salted Caramels
Sprinkle ½ t coarse salt over candies before wrapping (adds 20 mg sodium per serving).

NOTE: To make fewer candies, use 2 T butter and ¼ c each honey and heavy cream. Cut cooled caramel into 16 pieces and roll into cylinders before wrapping.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 caramel Serving per Recipe 48

Amount per Serving Calories 42 Total Fat 2.8 g   Saturated Fat 1.8 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g   Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g Cholesterol 9 mg Sodium 12 mg Potassium 6 mg Total Carbohydrates 4.5 g   Dietary Fiber 0.0 g   Sugars 4.4 g Protein 0.1 g