Ginger Caramels
Homemade soft Ginger Caramels are a treat you didn't know you needed!
Servings: 24 yields
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy cream, room temperature
- 4 oz piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided 2 tbsp./2 tbsp.
- generous 1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 tbsp. crystallized ginger optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it just comes to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the chopped ginger and stir.
- Cover with a lid and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
- While the ginger is infusing in the cream, line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or foil.
- After a half-hour has passed, strain the cream mixture through a cheesecloth and return infused cream to the cooled saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the sea salt, then return pan to the stove and keep warm on a low heat while you prepare the caramel.
- Place a candy thermometer in a large heavy duty saucepan.
- Add the corn syrup and sugar and heat, stirring gently, until all the sugar granules have dissolved. After you’ve reached a uniform, clear syrup, continue cooking it until it reaches 310 degrees F, stirring/swirling the pan ONLY as necessary (as infrequently and gently as possible) if the mixture begins to color unevenly.
- When the sugar mixture has reached 310°F, remove from the heat and stir in the warm, ginger-infused cream mixture.
- Be careful, as it will bubble up vigorously.
- Stir until smooth (at least one minute) and then return the mixture to the heat, and cook to 248°F (firm ball). (Once when making these the temperature did not go below 250°F when I incorporated the ginger cream. I never returned it to the heat and simply stirred in the butter as instructed in the next step.)
- Turn off the heat, remove the thermometer, and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
- Once incorporated, pour the mixture into your prepared pan. Cool on a wire rack.
- Once caramels are cooled you can cut into desired shape. Wrapping in individual wrappers is recommended so that they do not stick together.
- If you want to embellish caramels with crystallized ginger, cut into very small, very fine pieces and sprinkle 5-7 across top of caramel. Make sure they are spread out evenly over the top; if they clump together it can be overpowering.
- Once wrapped and stored in a air-tight container the caramels should last 1-2 months.