Caramels without corn syrup. Possible?
I am hoping to make some caramel candies to send out with my holiday cookies this year. Problem is, I'd like to avoid corn syrup. Does anyone out there have a recipe for caramels that doesn't involve corn syrup? Is it even possible to make them without it?
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12 Comments:
I've made caramel sauce (though not caramel candies) using brown sugar and brown rice syrup. I like brown rice syrup as a corn syrup alternative. If you can't find that, I would buy organic corn syrup.
KarynMC at 9:48AM on 12/09/08
these are fantastic:
http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/11/do-it-yourself-.html
french tart at 9:56AM on 12/09/08
Lyle's golden syrup has a caramel flavor and can be used.
JerzeeTomato at 10:28AM on 12/09/08
Traditional or original or *real* caramel (from the pre-corn syrup era) is nothing more than milk and sugar with a pinch of salt. Whether it's a sauce or a candy is, I believe, largely dependent on how much milk is used and how long it's cooked.
But it takes forever to make, and must be stood over constantly. That's why the corn syrup method became so prevalent.
Not sure where to find one, but there should be old-fashioned recipes for caramel that involve only milk and sugar. I know I used to have an old cookbook with such a recipe, but being a candy-making phobic, I never tried it out. I'll have to take a look through my old books and stuff to see if it's still there somewhere... if so, I will post...
Also, corn syrup is nothing more than a form a invert sugar. So you should be able to make your own invert sugar (syrup from table sugar) and substitute it for the corn syrup. Just a thought.
LoCo at 10:54AM on 12/09/08
Well, I don't seem to have that old cookbook any longer (it may have been a very early edition of Fanny Farmer that I lost years ago in a move).
Anyway, a quick Googling turned up these:
Vintage Caramel Recipe
Mexican Caramel with Pecans
Mexican Cinnamon Caramel
Also, one of my favorite go-to sources for the "old" ways is Google's book feature. A lot of very old books have been fully digitized, including old cookbooks. For instance, this caramel recipe is from the 1912 cookbook Candies and Bonbons and how to Make Them, by Marion Harris Neil
LoCo at 11:50AM on 12/09/08
Thanks everyone! These are great ideas - I knew SE folks could help out with this one. The Chez Pim recipe looks especially delicious.
mainegirl at 2:18PM on 12/09/08
I've used lemon juice to keep it from recrystalizing. Also, brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush helps.
beth1 at 9:24PM on 12/09/08
Well, as a kid I remember reading recipes using sweetened condensed milk [as Eagle brand] to make caramel. (I only mention Eagle as a brand because its ingredients are only milk and sugar, no CS or HFCS. Can't speak to other brands.) Problem is, old recipes had you using an ***extremely dangerous*** method to use it to create the caramel, so my mother always flatly refused to try it. Today, instead (thankfully!!) the listings show recipes using a double-boiler, etc. to heat the condensed milk sufficiently to perform the magic.
Robbo at 10:25PM on 12/09/08
What's wrong with corn syrup? Is this a political thing?
SqueezeBottle at 8:21AM on 12/10/08
@jerzeetomato - Lyle's Golden syrup (invert sugar syrup) isn't really a good sub for corn syrup as it half glucose and half fructose. That makes it more like HFCS than corn syrup. Corn syrup is 100% glucose. The only sub for it would be glucose made from some other source. You can get glucose from Europe at gourmet stores, but why pay all that money when corn syrup is cheap easy to find?
SqueezeBottle at 8:34AM on 12/10/08
@SqueezeBottle, I avoid corn syrup for several reasons, personal and political. But, I'd prefer to stick to talking about caramel recipes here.
mainegirl at 9:34AM on 12/10/08
I use same amounts of honey and heavy cream and some salt to make my caramel candies. It is wonderful!
teddyburr at 11:19AM on 12/10/08