Chewy Coffee Caramels Recipe
Love coffee and candy? These Chewy Coffee Caramels are rich, buttery, and easy to make—no corn syrup or oven needed! Ready in 20 minutes, perfect for gifting!
Servings: 60
Calories: 38kcal
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Flaky salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment. Set it aside.
- In a small saucepan, boil the water then whisk in the instant coffee until dissolved.⅓ cup water, 2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso
- Stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium-low heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 240ºF (soft ball stage), about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. Be careful not to set the temperature of the stovetop too high to bring it to temp faster - this will burn the caramel.TIP: Don’t have a candy or deep- fry thermometer? Have a bowl of very cold water ready, and cook the caramel until a tiny spoonful dropped into the water becomes firm, chewy, and able to be plied into a ball.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed brown sugar, ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Once it reaches 240ºF, immediately remove the caramel from heat. Add the vanilla and salt, and give the caramel several stirs with a whisk or wooden spoon to distribute it evenly.1 teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour the smooth caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm—about 1 hour. The caramels should be malleable but not soft enough to make a dent with your finger when gently pressed.Note: I do not recommend speeding up the cooling process by placing the caramel in the fridge or freezer. I find it gets too hard (like hard candy), making it difficult to cut into pieces.
- While the caramel is cooling, prepare the wax paper wrappers. Cut 4-inch strips of wax paper or parchment paper, then cut each strip into 3 rectangles, about 3-4 inches wide. Cut 60 of these pieces and set them aside until the caramel has set.
- Once caramel is set, use your parchment paper sling to transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well-oiled knife, oiling it after each cut, to cut the caramel into 1-by-1-inch squares. You can instead spray the knife with Pam nonstick cooking spray between each cut.TIP: The caramel should cut nicely at room temperature. If your house is particularly cold or it’s the middle of winter, the caramel may harden more than you’d like and make it difficult to cut. If this happens, place the block of caramel in the microwave for 8-10 seconds - be sure to remove it from the metal baking pan first! Place each of the small squares in the middle of a 4-inch x 3-inch piece of waxed paper or parchment paper and sprinkle with flaky salt, if using. Fold the long edges over the caramel square then twist the sides of the paper carefully to close, being careful not to tear the paper.Flaky salt
Notes
- Make ahead: Caramels keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for many weeks.
- If the caramels are too hard to cut or to chew, place the block (be sure to remove it from the metal baking dish first!) or individual candies in the microwave for 8-10 seconds.
- Adapted from and inspired by Smitten Kitchen.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 caramel | Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 10mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.02mg
