Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels

This is truly a great caramel recipe, and it just happens to be one of the easiest. Rich, dark, deeply flavored, and reliably chewy, these Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels are the kind that make people assume you've been standing over a saucepan for an hour even though the process is surprisingly straightforward.

I found the original version while researching European-style butter recipes on the Land O'Lakes site, and what caught my attention wasn't the butter, but rather the reviews. Every single one was five stars, which is rare for caramel, a dessert that's notorious for going wrong. That alone convinced me to try it, and it delivered immediately. I've made it multiple times with perfect results, and it's now my go-to caramel when I want bold flavor and serious chew.

This caramel cooks up darker than many recipes, with a complexity that comes from properly cooked sugar rather than shortcuts. Once finished, you can pour it into a lined pan, top it with chocolate, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and cut it into neat squares once set. The texture is firm, chewy, and exactly what a good caramel should be.

Half Batch Homemade Caramels

The full recipe makes a generous batch, but it also halves beautifully. I usually weigh out about 7 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (I haven't seen the squeeze type lately) and pour the caramel into a foil-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan. Just be aware that a smaller batch cooks faster, so keep a close eye on the temperature.

Chocolate Turtles

The recipe also works well for Chocolate Turtles. Just arrange pecans in the classic turtle shape and spoon the caramel over the top, or take the easier route: cut the caramel into squares, warm slightly if needed, and press each piece over five pecans before dipping or drizzling with chocolate.

• Sea Turtle Brownies
• Cranberry Turtle Bars
• Turtle Brownies Caramel Topping
• Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cookies
• Reese's Thins Sea Salt Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels

Anna

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels are easy to make and call for condensed milk. You can top with sea salt, or just use some coarse kosher.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 32 servings

Ingredients

 

• 2 sticks salted butter, softened (228 grams)
• 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar (400 grams)
• ¾ cup light corn syrup
• 1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk (14 oz) (392 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 10-12 oz milk or dark chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• Sea salt or Kosher salt

Instructions

 

• Line a 9-inch square pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
• In a 3 quart nonstick saucepan, stir the softened butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk together until fully blended. Turn on the heat and set it to medium. Cook, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon or heat proof scraper, until boiling (about 6 minutes)
• Reduce mixture to a very soft boil - a little over a simmer. Insert candy thermometer and heat to 240 (soft ball stage), stirring often and making sure the heat is rising slowly and steadily. This should take about 20 minutes, and towards the end you'll notice the mixture darkening a bit. When mixture reaches about 240, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour caramel into the pan. Let cool at room temperature for 2 hours, and then cover with melted chocolate.
• Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil (or shortening) in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth and shiny. Pour chocolate over caramel.
• Refrigerate until chocolate is set. When chocolate is set, lift from the pan and cut into squares.
• Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

Notes

You can also pour this over any shortbread crust as I did in the second photo. Now that I've made these a time or two, I think I prefer them without a crust.

Keyword Caramels

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