Old fashioned caramel recipe with sweetened condensed milk

If you can stir, you can make Grandma’s Homemade Caramels! These are soft, chewy, and so easy to make. We’ve even included instructions on how to make caramels without a candy thermometer!

Table of Contents Show

Candy Thermometer: Optional?
Do I have to use corn syrup in caramels?
Storage Instructions:
How do you turn condensed milk into caramel?
How long does it take to turn condensed milk into caramel?
How long do you boil sweetened condensed milk to caramelize it?
Does condensed milk turn into caramel when boiled?

Homemade caramels are meant for enjoying in this cold, blustery weather. We’ve always had a soft spot for caramel, even the hard kind wrapped in foil that everyone’s grandparents always seemed to have on hand. While store bought caramels are good in a pinch, nothing is quite as comforting as soft, chewy, homemade caramels.

Some of us were extra lucky and had grandparents who made caramels from scratch! Making caramels today really takes us back to the good old days of spending a day off of school with family, and helping in the kitchen; frilly aprons on, flour and butter everywhere, baking Christmas cookies, homemade fudge, and especially caramels. If you’ve never experienced homemade caramels, this is a must make recipe for you. Trust us, your life will never be the same.

Candy Thermometer: Optional?

Don’t have a candy thermometer? Our grandparents didn’t either! You can determine if your caramel is ready the old fashioned way. Fill a drinking glass or bowl with cold water. Add in just a drop of the caramel from the pan on the stove. For the soft-ball stage, the caramel should form a small round ball in the cold water. When it is removed from the water, the caramel should flatten.

Do I have to use corn syrup in caramels?

Corn syrup is an invert sugar. Invert sugars inhibit the formation of crystals giving you smooth and creamy caramels every time. If you don’t have corn syrup or don’t want to use corn syrup, you can always make your own homemade invert sugar using sugar, water, and an acid (usually cream of tartar or citric acid). If you need to replace the corn syrup in this recipe, you’ll want to use another invert sugar that will also prevent crystalization, including:

Honey (will impact flavor and won’t prevent crystalization as well)
Golden Syrup
Brown Rice Syrup
Homemade Corn Syrup Substitute

Storage Instructions:

Once your caramels are wrapped in wax paper, they should last approximately 2 weeks at room temperature if stored in a ziptop bag or airtight canister. If you made a large batch, store wrapped caramels in a freezer safe bag to freeze for up to 6 months. Allow time to thaw completely before eating.

If you can stir, you can make Grandma’s Homemade Caramels! These are soft, chewy, and so easy to make. We’ve even included instructions on how to make caramels without a candy thermometer!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup corn syrup
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Butter a 9×13 pan well to coat. Set aside
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, pour in sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and brown sugar.
Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until it starts to simmer, scraping the sides and bottom regularly.
Once simmering, continue at a constant simmer, stirring constantly until caramel reaches the softball stage of 235 and 245 F, with higher elevations using the lower temperature range, and lower elevations using the upper end of the range.
At the soft-ball stage, immediately remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt. Pour caramel into the prepared 9×13 pan.
Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Wrap in pieces of wax paper for individual servings if desired.

Notes

Don’t have a candy thermometer? You can determine if your caramel is ready the old fashioned way! Fill a drinking glass or bowl with cold water. Add in just a drop of the caramel from the pan on the stove. For the soft-ball stage, the caramel should form a small round ball in the cold water, then when it is removed, it should flatten.

Serving size is based on cutting caramels into 1-inch squares. A 9×13-inch pan will produce approximately 117 1-inch squares.

How do you turn condensed milk into caramel?

Recipe Notes Alternately, combine 200g butter with 200g brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until the butter and sugar become a smooth liquid. Add 395g condensed milk. Stir over low heat for 20 minutes or until mixture browns and thickens slightly.

How long does it take to turn condensed milk into caramel?

Preheat oven to 425°F. Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk into a casserole dish or pie plate. Cover with foil. Bake 60-90 minutes or until condensed milk has reached a golden brown color.

How long do you boil sweetened condensed milk to caramelize it?

STOVETOP: Pour 1 can (14 ounces) CARNATION Sweetened Condensed Milk into top of double-boiler pan; cover. Place over boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 50 minutes, or until thick and light caramel-colored.

Does condensed milk turn into caramel when boiled?

Dulce de leche (cooked condensed milk) is a thickened caramel-like sauce that's made out of milk and sugar. In other words, it's sweetened condensed milk heated until it thickens and caramelizes.