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Salted Microwave Caramels

My weakness in the world of sweet treats is, and has always been, caramels.  I’ve rarely met a caramel I didn’t love and I’ve never met one I didn’t like, but I rarely make them myself because, well, they’re a pain in the tush to make… Or at least I thought they were.

But what if I told you that you could create an amazing, luscious, creamy, decadent, mouthwatering caramel in about 6 minutes. What if I also told you that this can be done in what was, until today at least, my least favorite kitchen tool; The microwave oven.

Yep. I made these bad boys in the microwave and I’ll happily do it again without any guilt or shame whatsoever.

These caramels are perfect. They are awe inspiring. The flavor is something between a standard butter caramel and dulce de leche with just a hint of saltiness as a back-note. They are amazing.

But be warned: Whether it’s intentional in the recipe, because of the climate here in Alaska or because I did something wrong, these are the gooiest caramels I have ever seen.  As an illustration of that, in the picture below the caramels were frozen and resting on a frozen board under an open window pouring 29 degree air onto the counter and they were still completely flexible.

Microwave Caramels

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing however.  It makes this the perfect caramel to use as a dipping sauce or as a coating for apples. Warmed just slightly this recipe makes the a great topping for pies or ice cream.  In fact, I moved all of it to a container so that we can use it to coat apple slices later tonight.

I think that I may have had a bit too much corn syrup in the mix, but I’m no confectioner.  If any of you can suggest a way to get a slightly firmer caramel, we’d love to hear it!

What are your thoughts? Are you a caramel lover like I am, or are you more into the deeper flavors of chocolate?  Do you have a microwave caramel recipe that works a bit better as an individual treat? Let us know in the comments.

Salted Microwave Caramels
Yield: 36 candies

Salted Microwave Caramels

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 Tbsp coarse sea salt (approximate)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.
  2. Microwave on high for 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and sugars are melted completely. If mixture looks grainy, microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring thoroughly until mixture is creamy and has no lumps.
  3. Stir into a well greased 8x8-inch dish and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle sea salt over mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  5. Cut, wrap in wax paper and store refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks.
  6. Share and Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 59Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 203mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 0g

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

As I said, this particular batch never quite firmed up as much as I would have liked, so I’m going to work on tweaking the amounts until I get one that I can send as a gift.  Other than that, my suggestion is GRAB A SPOON!

Links to other recipes like this:

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