Madeline Adams
Caramel is a treat: melt-in-the-mouth and sweet. Here we will tell you how delicious caramel is made from sugar, heat and an extra portion of caution. Sure-fun recipes for caramel sauce, caramels and the world’s easiest milk caramel.
Making caramel yourself is actually very easy: put sugar in the pot, turn on the stove – and cane sugar turns into wonderfully sticky caramel. Unfortunately, experience shows that without patience, constant stirring and a little willingness to experiment, homemade caramel doesn’t work too well. We’ll tell you tips and tricks so that the caramel doesn’t turn out black and bitter, but golden and sweet.
Basic recipe: Prepare caramel without water
Stirring is the be-all and end-all here!
- Cover the bottom of a saucepan with sugar and heat on low to medium.
- When the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously to allow the sugar to melt evenly.
- When the sugar turns slightly golden, gradually stir in the remaining sugar.
- Continue stirring until the caramel reaches the desired color.
Tips for the caramel preparation:
Don’t use too much sugar at once or clumps may form as the already melted sugar cools.
The darker the caramel, the more bitter the taste.
Basic recipe: caramel with water – suitable for beginners
If you add sugar to the pot with water, you should never stir it. Otherwise lumps form that can no longer be dissolved. Therefore, only heat the water-sugar mixture very, very slowly.
Put 100 grams of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan (preferably made of stainless steel) and let the mixture melt slowly over low heat until caramel forms.
This method gives you more time to react, so it’s great for caramel beginners.
Recipe: Make cream caramel yourself
For those who understand caramel to mean the soft, delicious cream made of sugar, butter and cream: Here is the recipe for cream caramel, which makes a wonderful topping for ice cream, desserts, cakes or “just for fun”. With a bit of sea salt, it becomes the well-known salted caramel.
Ingredients for cream caramel
- 100 grams of sugar
- 30ml of water
- 50 g butter (room temperature)
- 60 ml cream (slightly warmed)
Preparation:
Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the sugar water to a boil and then simmer on low until the water has evaporated and the mass has turned golden yellow. Don’t stir!
Then add the butter and cream to the sugar and stir until the ingredients combine to form a velvety mass.
Bring the mixture to the boil, stir in the pinch of salt – and the creamy caramel is ready.
Tips:
If you let the caramel boil down, the mass will become firmer.
You can refine the caramel sauce with vanilla, cinnamon or salt (salted caramel).
Homemade caramel can easily be stored in the refrigerator for three to four weeks. At least if you don’t eat it up first!
Recipe: Make your own caramel candies
Ingredients:
- 200 grams of sugar
- 50ml of water
- cream
Preparation:
Melt the sugar and water over low heat without stirring.
When the sugar has dissolved and slowly begins to turn golden, remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly stir in the cream.
How liquid or creamy the caramel will be depends on the amount of cream.
Pour the liquid caramel onto a flat plate and wait for it to cool and set.
5 tbsp butter
30 tbsp sugar
10 tbsp milk (slightly warmed)
Melt the butter in the saucepan, then add the sugar.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
When a velvety mass has formed, carefully stir in the warm milk.
Pour the finished caramel onto a flat plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper, allow to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Make simple milk caramel yourself
This caramel recipe is ideal for beginners – because nothing can go wrong here. All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk and a lot of time.
Place the unopened (!) can of condensed milk in a pot of water. The can must be completely covered with water.
Bring the water to a boil and simmer gently for three to four hours.
Make sure the can is covered with water the whole time and top up with water if necessary.
Finally, let the can cool down, open it – the milk caramel is ready!
Which sugar for caramelizing?
Ordinary refined sugar works best. Brown sugar, powdered sugar, and cane sugar don’t all turn well into fine caramel.
Make your own caramel: practice makes perfect
Good to know: making caramel yourself requires a sure instinct, a little experience – and if it doesn’t work the first time, patience for a second attempt. Once you get the hang of it, it’s a breeze to make. Concentration and looking closely are important when making caramel, because the sugar burns from one second to the next.
