Microwave Salted Caramels

Only 1.25 days left until Christmas! Are you ready? Nope, me neither. I wish I could be one of those super organized people that has everything done a week in advance, but I’m not, and I’ll probably be baking and wrapping presents until the very last minute. However, if your procrastination skills are anything like mine, you may still looking for last minute gift ideas. You’ve come to the right place! There are no fancy cakes to be shared today (although there will be in the near future), but if you have a microwave, you can make these caramels. If fact, this is probably the easiest recipe on my blog, and it makes a great gift (if you can resist eating them all by yourself).

I love the sweet and salty combination of these caramels, but the variations of this recipe are endless. You can add any flavor extract you like, omit the salt, dip them in chocolate, or add your favorite liquor. The last time I made these, I added 2 tablespoons of bourbon for a boozy treat.

To package these up, I found the cutest little containers at Michael’s. As you can see, I had a failed attempt at trying to individually wrap these in plastic wrap. Parchment or waxed paper work much better. Now that my caramels are made, I’m off to package them up before I shove them all in my face. Good night, and I’ll see you back here soon for some cake!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (57 grams) butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 grams) brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup(164 grams) light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup (150 grams) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling (such as Maldon or Fleur de sel)

Instructions

1. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the butter, sugars, corn syrup, and condensed milk.
3. Microwave on high for 6 minutes, stirring the mixture every 2 minutes.
4. Remove the bowl and stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Pour the caramel mixture into the lined pan.
6. Sprinkle the top with sea salt.
7. Let the pan cool in the refrigerator for about an hour before cutting into pieces.
8. Wrap the caramels individually in parchment or waxed paper.

Recipe adapted from food.com
This recipe is based on my 1100 watt microwave. You may need to adjust the time according to your microwave. If your caramels are too soft, you will need to cook them a little bit longer.
I would recommend adding an additional 30 seconds to your cooking time if you add booze.

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