Salted Caramel

Salted Caramel can be cooled and cut into bite sized little chews, poured over a cake or brownies while warm, or whipped into a frosting. I've done it all three ways (and even put it in coffee and poured it over popcorn!). Caramel has a stigma as being really difficult to make, and this can certainly be true, but I've found this to be the easiest and most fool-proof way to make it. Even if you don't have a candy thermometer. I hope these step by step photos make it easy for you so that you can whip out salted caramel at a moments notice... cause.. a lot of moments need salted caramel. Let's make caramel together...

We will need: 
​1 cup of butter, soft. 1 cup of heavy cream, 6 T water, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 2 cups of sugar and sea salt for sprinkling

First we'll be using the corn syrup, sugar and water. 

Pour the corn syrup, water, and sugar into a medium sized pot. Try not to splash much on the sides of the pot. 

Press the sugar into the corn syrup and water to get it all wet. This will help ensure the caramel won't crystalize while we cook it.

Heat it over medium until it starts to boil. 

Once it reaches a boil put the lid on and let it cook for 2 minutes. Putting the lid on is vital because it helps the steam to run back down the sides of the pot and back into the soon-to-be-caramel also ensuring that it doesn't crystalize.

Now, if you're a rule follower and need things to be perfectly laid out for you I'll include the temperatures you want to reach. But for me... maybe I'm just dumb.. but, I always have trouble reading my thermometer... so I just go based on color. 
We're going to keep this cooking on medium heat until it's gone from a slight off white color to a very golden almost amber color. (or till its 320 F)

This is our starting color.

While we wait, heat your cream and butter in the microwave until they're melted together. we just don't want to put cold cream and butter straight into the caramel.

But also DON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF YOUR CARAMEL. The color can turn quickly and you DON'T want it to burn!

It's getting a little more golden but we want it a liiiiitle darker.

Perfect, this is the color we're after. a rich golden color. Not burnt. But trust me, once it gets to this color it can burn very quickly. So don't turn around for a second.

Slowly pour in your cream and butter while stirring. A tiny stream. If you pour too much too quickly it'll bubble over.

After you get it all stirred in, it'll settle back down.

We want to keep heating it until it bubbles again (or reaches ​240°F)

Then you take it off the heat.

This is the point where you should stir in a Tbsp on sea salt.

 If you're wanting to make chewy caramels just pour it in a casserole dish that's been liberally greased and wait for it to cool completely (you can refrigerate it)
​
If you want to use it while it's warm, either leave it in the pot or transfer it to something that's less messy to pour out of. Let it cool down a little bit and then use it.

Or you can just pour it into a mason jar and let it come to room temp and then just heat it in the microwave when you're ready to use it (usually what I do)

Thanks for following along! If you make this recipe be sure to take photo and tag me @martinezmade.co on Instagram! It'll make my day!!