If you are on the prowl for an easy homemade soft caramel recipe without corn syrup, then you have come to the right place! Made with only a few simple ingredients, this caramel is so decadent and creamy, and if you are anything like our family, you will literally want to eat it by the spoonful! This easy caramel is made the old fashioned way, no brown sugar, unsalted butter, karo syrup, dark corn syrup or light corn syrup needed. Just 100% pure cane white sugar. It is the best way to make an amazing homemade caramel syrup for that perfect sweet treat!
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Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has enjoyed her delicious caramels. Caramel corn is one of her absolute favorites, and she would always carry Werther's candies or chewy caramels with her everywhere. Most of the desserts she would order in a restaurant would have some sort of caramel sauce on it. She would always ask the waiters to add extra caramel to it as well. In the restaurants where they knew her best, they would just bring her the whole bottle! I am giggling as I am writing this post because you cannot help but laugh when that happens! And of course, I would add a little extra to my ice cream too!
Now I will say, there is a huge difference between homemade caramels and store bought caramel candy! Once you have tried creamy homemade caramel you will never go back! Especially once you learn how easy this delicious golden syrup is to make!
It was not until Theron and I visited France, that I was completely turned on to candy making. After tasting buttery homemade caramels dipped in decadent dark chocolate for the first time, I was hooked! It made all the other grocery store candy taste like chemicals.
The original caramel recipe was Theron's. He had it down pat and would make it for my mom every time she would come to visit us. He always had it made prior to that plane landing, per her request! Sadly, there was a major gap between visits due to covid, so he lost his touch! The past couple of months my mom has been trying to get the recipe from him to make on her own, but with no luck from Theron, and a couple of caramel attempts gone wrong, way wrong, he gave up. So, I promised her I would try my best to figure it out and perfect it.
So Mama, here it is!
What is caramel syrup used for?
I personally enjoy this easy homemade caramel recipe on a big bowl of homemade ice cream with melted chocolate! I also have made an amazing apple pie with this as the secret ingredient in it! This old fashioned caramel syrup recipe is even amazing with sliced apples, drizzled over popcorn, or in a coffee drink! Try it on the best movie theater popcorn recipe found here! The Best Oil For Making Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
Of course, you can always resort to eating it by the spoonfuls like us! This caramel sauce is also perfect for making soft caramels covered in chocolate. These can be given away as beautiful holiday gifts or set out for a fun gathering or party! Guest will be so impressed with your homemade candy abilities!
Try this recipe on top of my Simple New York Style Cheesecake Recipe (No Springform Pan)!
Tips on Making this Homemade Creamy Caramel Sauce
1. Set a timer! This recipe takes about 6 minutes, from start to finish. This is from the point that you turn your stove on! Set the temperature to a medium-high heat. I have an electric stove and set mine between a 6 and 7.
2. You want the sugar to be a dirty copper penny color. This is where it gets all of its amazing flavor. It is the hardest part in making any type of homemade cream caramels. It will turn rapidly, so make sure you do not leave its side until it is completely done.
3. If it turns too fast the first time, try, and try again! Do not give up! With a little bit of patience you will eventually become a caramel aficionado! And once you have mastered it, it will become your family tradition.
4. I prefer to use a wooden spoon because the caramel will clump up to a candy consistency when you add the cream. At this point, place the saucepan on low heat and keep stirring the soft caramel chunks at the bottom of the pan so that they can melt down into the cream mixture. Also, make sure that you stir in whatever made it up the sides of the pot after pouring the cream in.
What You Will Need for This Easy Caramel Recipe
Heavy saucepan
Large pot (this will hold about a cup of ice water with ice and will be an ice bath for the hot caramel)
Wisk or a wooden spoon
Ingredients for Soft Caramel Recipe
1 cup of pure cane sugar (I use organic)
¾ cup of fresh cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod scraped
½ teaspoon of sea salt
Homemade Soft Caramel Recipe Without Corn Syrup
First thing, place ice water in a larger pot that will hold the saucepan and set aside for the end of the recipe.
Measure out the cream.
Add the salt and the vanilla to the cream and place it to the side.
Then, measure out a cup of sugar and place it in a heavy small saucepan.
Turn the heat on to medium heat.
I have an electric stove and set the temperature to between 6 and 7.
Start your timer for 6 minutes! (It takes exactly 6 minutes from start to finish on my stove.)
During the cooking process, you will find that the sugar will melt down and become a sugar syrup.
Once the 6 minutes is up (you will notice it starting to smoke a little, this means it is at the perfect temperature), the sugar should look like the color of a copper penny. If it does not, then keep whisking for a few more seconds until it does. It can go from a copper color to burnt fast, so be careful!
Once it is the desired color, carefully and slowly poor in the the heavy cream mixture, whisking continuously.
At this point, you will find that the sugar syrup has clumped up. Place the pot back on the stove and turn the stove on to its lowest setting. Keep working it with the whisk or wooden spoon and it will eventually start to melt down into the heavy whipping cream.
Add the vanilla extract and the sea salt to the caramel mixture.
Whisk until everything is completely combined.
(Optional) Place the pan in an ice bath and continue to mix the creamy caramel until it is at room temperature.
You will find that as it starts to cool down, it will start to thicken up.
Place in a jar with a lid and store in the fridge. It will last about a month and can freeze for about 3 months!
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Homemade Soft Caramel Recipe (Without Corn Syrup)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of pure cane sugar I use organic
- ¾ cup of fresh cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod scraped
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
Instructions
- First thing, place ice water in a larger pot that will hold the saucepan and set aside for the end of the recipe.
- Measure out the cream.
- Add the salt and the vanilla to the cream and place it to the side.
- Then, measure out a cup of sugar and place it in a heavy small saucepan.
- Turn the heat on to medium heat.
- I have an electric stove and set the temperature to between 6 and 7.
- Start your timer for 6 minutes! (It takes exactly 6 minutes from start to finish on my stove.)
- During the cooking process, you will find that the sugar will melt down and become a sugar syrup.
- Once the 6 minutes is up (you will notice it starting to smoke a little, this means it is at the perfect temperature), the sugar should look like the color of a copper penny. If it does not, then keep whisking for a few more seconds until it does. It can go from a copper color to burnt fast, so be careful!
- Once it is the desired color, carefully and slowly poor in the the heavy cream mixture, whisking continuously.
- At this point, you will find that the sugar syrup has clumped up. Place the pot back on the stove and turn the stove on to its lowest setting. Keep working it with the whisk or wooden spoon and it will eventually start to melt down into the heavy whipping cream.
- Add the vanilla extract and the sea salt to the caramel mixture.
- Whisk until everything is completely combined.
- (Optional) Place the pan in an ice bath and continue to mix the creamy caramel until it is at room temperature.
- You will find that as it starts to cool down, it will start to thicken up.
- Place in a jar with a lid and store in the fridge. It will last about a month and can freeze for about 3 months!
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