Dark Chocolate Caramel
This dark chocolate caramel recipe is an easy recipe loaded with deliciously sweet flavors. Homemade, bite-sized caramels are covered in a dark chocolate candy coating and decorated with festive sprinkles for a holly jolly treat.
Servings: 63 Pieces
Calories: 105kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 16 ounce box light brown sugar
- Dash of salt
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 ounce H‑E‑B Dark Chocolate Candy Coating, or melting chocolate of your choice (might need 2)
- Festive holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pan, melt butter over low heat.
- Once butter is melted, add brown sugar and a dash of salt. Stir thoroughly.
- Next, add corn syrup and continue to stir.
- Slowly add condensed milk, stirring constantly.
- Cook over low heat and continue stirring constantly.
- Once the caramel starts to boil, continue cooking until the caramel reaches 230° and then start to test for "soft ball stage." This takes approximately 16-18 minutes to get to this point, all the while stirring constantly.
- If you are unsure what "soft ball stage" means, get a small bowl of cold water and once the temperature reaches 220° drop a little caramel into the cold water and see if it feels soft, but somewhat firm between your fingers. This might need to be done a few times to get to the right temperature for the caramel. If it is too soft and doesn't form somewhat of a ball, continue cooking a little bit longer, stirring constantly. Keep testing for the firmness with the "soft ball stage" method. Once the caramel reaches the desired texture and temperature, remove from heat. Make sure the caramel's temperature does not reach beyond 240° because then your caramel will be too hard.
- Once removed from heat, add vanilla and stir.
- Pour caramel into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish lined with parchment paper or generously buttered.
- Once cooled, remove the caramel from the baking dish and place caramel on the counter with the parchment paper. Cut into approximately 1-inch pieces.
- Heat the dark chocolate candy coating according to package directions.
- Drip each piece of caramel into the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with holiday sprinkles, and let cool.
- Place the caramels individually in candy wrappers or place chocolate covered caramel in a container with wax paper between the layers.
Notes
Tips
- It takes between 16 and 18 minutes to reach the "soft ball" stage. However, I highly recommend using a candy thermometer to ensure the candy reaches 230°F.
- To ensure you don't cook the caramel past the "soft ball" stage, drop a little bit of caramel into a glass of cold water once it reaches 220°F. It should feel soft, but somewhat firm between your fingers. Repeat until you reach the required temperature and texture.
- DO NOT let your caramel reach 240°F or higher. Otherwise, it will be too hard.
- Your caramel should be fully cooled before coating it in chocolate. This ensures a nice, even coating that sets up well.
Nutrition
Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 34mg | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 107IU | Calcium: 25mg