Caramels

I'll be happy to share my caramel recipe. I have a confession to make anyway. I have officially decided that I prefer caramel over chocolate. Never thought that would be true. But hey, I like it better. What can I say! And it's all because of these caramels. My most favorite candy ever!

Just made some the other day. Not to mention the fact that I've made the caramel popcorn recipe I posted four times in two weeks. I LOVE caramel!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1 /2 cups butter (real butter)

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Cook and stir (don't scrape the sides of the pan) until mixture reaches 242 degrees on a candy thermometer or is a firm ball when added to cold water. Pour in a greased 13 X 9 pan. Don't scrape the pan when pouring. Let set until cool. Cut and wrap in wax paper. Or use as a caramel coating for caramel apples or pretzel rods.

* The original recipe says to cook the caramel until it reaches 238 degrees. I have found that the caramel is too soft and sticky when I only cook it this long. It doesn't hold its shape when cut. So, I make sure that it reaches 242. Put the thermometer in the middle of the boiling caramel, not on the bottom of the pan, to get the best results. This may vary depending on altitude and humidity. Also, if you find out you didn't cook the caramel long enough and it's too soft, you can pour it back in the pan and cook it again to a higher temperature and it will still turn out good.