Bourbon Caramel Candy Recipe - A Spicy Perspective (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between caramel sauce and caramel candy? ›

Caramel sauce ends up being a soft-set caramel candy in the fridge, and if you let caramel candy sit out in a warm room, it becomes almost a thick caramel sauce. The two are on a continuum that starts with granulated sugar and ends with carbonized sugar.

If too many bits of sugar get stuck to the side of the pan, they will harden and can cause the caramel to seize or become gritty or grainy when you add in the butter and/or the cream. Prevent this by gently swirling the sugar around as it melts, while holding the pan's handle, instead of using a utensil to stir it.

The flavor of caramel is often described as sweet and buttery, with a creamy texture. Caramel can be made with varying ingredients, which affects the overall flavor. Some caramel is made with brown sugar, giving a molasses flavor along with a buttery taste.

Brings indulgence

Caramel is all about indulgence and it satisfies everybody's sweet tooth. It can also help to add multi-sensoriality as consumers are looking for an intense sensorial delight. From soft to gooey and crunchy textures, different shades of golden and characteristic tastes, caramel has a lot to offer.

Caramel can be produced in so many forms such as, sauce, a chewy candy, or a hard candy because of how much of an ingredient is added and the temperature it is being prepared at.

Caramel sauce results either from cooking sugar until it browns or by thinning melted caramel candies. When a recipe calls for melting caramel candies, you can use a homemade caramel sauce to replace the melted caramels.

Caramel sauce is a wonderful topping for ice cream, cake, pie, and bread pudding. While a typical caramel recipe calls for heavy cream, what if you don't have any handy? This easy recipe uses milk and butter instead, ingredients you're more likely to have on hand.

Your caramel is too hard

It is likely that you took the mixture past the 240° / 120°c stage, which is called the firm ball stage in candy making. You want to make sure that you very carefully measure the temperature of your caramel when you are cooking it.

Temperature is key when making candy. The difference between a soft caramel and one that's hard and overcooked is all in the temperature. Candy thermometers—like this instant-read thermometer—let you know exactly what stage the caramel is in (thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, hard-ball, soft crack or hard crack).

Some form of dairy — typically butter and/or heavy cream — is usually added to the mixture at either the beginning or the end of cooking. This addition makes the caramel richer, thicker, and lighter in color, lending more viscosity and rounder flavor.

Is butterscotch the same as caramel? ›

Similar to caramel, butterscotch is made by heating sugar. The main difference between the two is that butterscotch uses brown sugar instead of white. The ingredients are also combined in a slightly different order for butterscotch: your start out by melting butter with brown sugar.

Butterscotch vs Caramel

The difference between butterscotch and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas butterscotch is made with brown sugar and cooked to 289 degrees Fahrenheit.

The first recorded type of caramels were hard candies that date back to the 17th century. Early American settlers cooked sugar and water together to make quick treats for their children. The ingredients were simple and affordable, making caramel a staple in many early households.

Dogs should not eat caramel; though it is not toxic to dogs, the high sugar content can lead to short- and long-term health issues for your pet. Caramel candies can upset your dog's stomach and lead to more serious issues like pancreatitis or dental disease.

Firstly, salt acts as a flavour enhancer, which means it brings out the flavours of the caramel that may have been previously overlooked.

When creating caramel, there are typically two different versions: wet caramel and dry caramel. Wet caramel refers to caramel that has been made by adding water to the sugar during the heating process.

Dulce de leche directly translates as 'caramel sauce', which felt like the perfect name for this 1 ingredient caramel. With origins in Argentina, dulce de leche is a thick caramel originally made with reduced sugar and milk.

Light caramel has a light golden brown hue, while dark caramel features a dark amber color with a slightly more bitter taste than light caramel. Various candies, confections, desserts, and beverages are made with caramel. Desserts such as flan and creme brûlée even contain a topping of caramel.

Caramel syrup is thinner and a little sweeter – less rich- than sauce because it is made with just sugar and water (and a little extract). It doesn't have the same richness because there is not typically butter or cream added.