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Melt in the Mouth Caramels

Makes about 2 1/2 pounds

1 cup butter or margarine
1 pound brown sugar
Dash salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add brown sugar and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined. Stir in corn syrup and mix well. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.

Cook and stir over medium heat until candy reaches firm ball stage. 245 on candy thermometer. about 12 to 15 min.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour into a buttered 9 inch square pan. Cool and cut into squares.

Recipe from a 1974 cookbook

Note: This recipe makes a lot caramel, you may want to cut the recipe in half. We cut the pieces with scissors and wrapped each piece in wax paper. It was delicious!

Vanilla Caramels

2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup condensed milk

1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup butter or fat
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Cook sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk, and milk together in a saucepan, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until temperature is 248 F., or until mixture forms a firm ball when tested in cold water. Remove from heat, add butter, salt, and vanilla and mix well.

Pour into a greased pan. When cold remove from pan, cut in cubes and wrap each caramel in wax paper.
Recipe from a 1953 cookbook

Chocolate Caramels - Add 5 ounces melted, unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces, to recipe above for vanilla caramels.

Coffee Caramels - Substitute 1 1/2 cups coffee for the milk in recipe above for Vanilla caramels and omit vanilla.

Make chocolate and vanilla-nut caramels. - Pour one batch into the chilling pan, and top with the other batch.

Chocolate Caramels

21/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
2 cups molasses
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put butter into kettle; when melted, add molasses, sugar, and milk. Stir until sugar is dissolved, and when boiling-point is reached, add chocolate, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Boil until, when tried in cold water, a firm ball may be formed in the fingers. Add vanilla just after taking from fire. Turn into a buttered pan, cool, and mark in small squares.
Recipe from Fannie Farmers 1893 Cookbook

Raisin Caramels

1 c. raisins
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate pieces

Place 1 c. raisins in buttered 8x8x2 inch pan.  Combine 3/4 c. butter or margarine and 1 c. brown sugar in saucepan; cook and stir to hardball stage (254). Pour over raisins. Top with 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate pieces, spreading as they melt. Chill till firm; cut into pieces.

See this recipe for Raisin Caramels

Caramel Apples

1 pound (56) vanilla caramels
2 tablespoons water
dash of salt
6 wooden skewers
6 crisp, medium apples
Chopped nuts

Melt caramels with water in double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Add salt. Stick a skewer into the blossom end of each apple. Dip apple in the caramel syrup and turn to coat. (If syrup is too thick, add a few drops water) At once roll bottom half of coated apple in chopped nuts. Set on cooky sheet covered with wax paper. Chill in refrigerator until firm. Makes 6 servings.
Recipe from a 1963 Teaching Teens to Cook Cookbook

Chocolate Caramel Apples

18 small apples
18 wooden sticks
1/2 cup butter
2 squares of unsweetened chocolate
2 cups of packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Wash and dry apples. Remove stems. Insert one wooden stick into the stem of each apple. In a heavy 3 quart saucepan melt the butter or margarine and unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk, then mix well. Clip a candy thermometer on one side of pan.

Cook over medium heat stirring frequently, till thermometer registers 245.(firm ball stage) Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla. Dip each apple into the hot caramel mixture, using a spoon to distribute evenly over apple. Allow excess caramel to drip off. Immediately dip bottoms of apples into chopped nuts. Place apples, peanut side down on wax paper and let stand for about 25 minutes or till firm. Makes 18.
Recipe from an 1985 Fun Foods Cookbook

Caramel Popcorn Balls

2 1/2 quarts popped corn
1/2 pound (28) vanilla caramels
2 tablespoons water

Keep popped corn hot and crisp in slow oven (300 to 325). Melt caramels in 2 tablespoons water in a doubleboiler, stirring frequently. Add dash salt. Place popped corn in a large bowl and drizzle caramel sauce over; toss till corn is well coated. Butter hands and shape in balls.
Recipe from a 1963 Teaching Teens to Cook Cookbook

Caramel Corn

2 c. brown sugar
1 stick oleo
3 T. white corn syrup

Boil for 1 minute and pour over popcorn.
Recipe note: I have loved this carmel corn recipe since I was a little girl. Kelly K.
Recipe from a 2001 Cedar County Catholic School in Hartington, Northern Nebraska

Microwave Caramel Corn

1 cup brown sugar
1 stick oleo, melted
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda

Melt butter first. Bring to a boil in a 2 quart container the brown sugar, melted oleo, syrup and salt. Boil full power another 2 minutes. Put 4 quarts of popped popcorn in a large paper grocery bag. Add 1/2 teaspoon soda to the syrup mixture. Stir and then pour mixture over the popcorn in the bag. Put bag in microwave oven for 1 1/2 minutes. Then shake. Bake in microwave 1 1/2 minutes longer. Shake and pour in a pan where you can crumble it up a few times with your hands.
Recipe from 1998 Platte SD Hospital Recipebook

Caramel Apple Dip

1-8oz pkg. cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. caramel flavor
1 tsp. vanilla flavor
1 T. milk

Warm cream cheese. Add all ingredients. Mix well and enjoy!
Recipe from a 2001 Cedar County Catholic School in Hartington, Northeastern Nebraska

Caramel coated Marshmallows recipe

Here's another recipe for Caramel Coated Marshmallows with Rice Krispies

Condensed Milk Caramel

Did you know in Russia they make caramel this way: They lightly boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in hot water for 3 hrs, then chill, when you open it, it will be like caramel. Make sure the pot does not go dry while boiling or the can will blow up. The longer you let it boil the thicker the carmel will be.

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