Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (add only 1/2 to begin with)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans (optional)
Directions
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Butter the sides and bottom of a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside.
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In a medium heavy saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk, salt and butter.
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Over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to ensure the sugar is completely melted, bring the mixture to a boil and add the rest of the sweetened condensed milk when it begins to boil. Insert the candy thermometer and clip onto your pan at this point.
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Once the second half of the condensed milk has been added and the mixture is boiling again, stop stirring to prevent sugar crystallization (which means the caramels will have a grainy texture).
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Boil the mixture still at medium-low heat, without stirring until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (234 degrees F).
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If you like your caramels a bit firmer, you can cook them up to 248 degrees F, which is firm ball stage but I prefer mine really soft (I will warn you that most people find this stage a bit too soft so use your best judgment and preference).
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When the caramel reaches the right temperature, immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and toasted pecans (if using).
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Carefully pour the hot mixture into the prepared pan without scraping the bottom and sides of the pan.
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Let the caramel cool completely before cutting into squares and wrapping in waxed paper.