Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (2024)

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Caramel Candy has never been easier to make! With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of time you can make rich, chewy caramel squares in your microwave.

Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (1)

Homemade Caramel Candies

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly contain my excitement when a Christmas plate is delivered and they have some homemade caramels wrapped in wax paper on them. They are always the softest, melt in your mouth caramels and I have great news for you..

YOU can make them. Seriously, with just a few ingredients, a microwave and a little stirring you’ve got those decadent caramel squares dreams are made of.

Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (2)

Caramel Candy Recipe ingredients

There is a full list of ingredients with exact measurements in the printable recipe card below.

  • Butter– I generally use salted butter, but be warned that salted butter will pop in the microwave when you are initially melting it down. I just place a paper towel over my bowl to avoid a mess in the microwave. You could use unsalted if you have it though. Just add a pinch of salt to the caramel mixture prior to microwaving.
  • Sweetened condensed milk– just one 14 oz can.
  • Corn syrup– light corn syrup is what we will use. Dark corn syrup will yield a richer and darker flavor and color.
  • Brown Sugar– You need brown sugar for this recipe, don’t try and substitute granulated sugar. Trust me, you will be so disappointed!
  • Vanilla extract
  • flakey sea salt– I use Maldon’s flakey sea salt, I purchased it on amazon.
Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (3)

How to Make Caramel Candy in the Microwave

Making Caramels in the microwave couldn’t be easier. Follow the steps below and you’ll be golden!

  1. in a large microwave safe bowl, melt your butter completely. (Please use a heavy duty, microwave safe bowl. The bowl will get very hot. Check the manufacturers website to ensure it is microwave safe to high temperatures.)
  2. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and brown sugar. The mixture will be grainy, but there should be no lumps.
  3. Microwave on high for 5 minutes and then stir. Continue microwaving and stirring 1 minute at a time until the temperature reaches 240° on an instant read thermometer. (see below for instructions on how to check doneness without a thermometer.)
  4. Pour the mixture into a buttered 8×8 pan. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then place in the fridge for 3 hours.
  5. Wait until the caramel is cold before cutting.
  6. Cut with a sharp knife in one up and down motion for each cut.
  7. Wrap with wax paper and enjoy!

Tips for this Microwave Caramel Recipe

How to check temperature of Caramel Candies

You’ll check if the caramel is done by quickly bringing it down to room temperature and ‘setting’ the caramel to see what the finished texture would be like. To do this, get a bowl of ice water and drop a small amount of the hot caramel liquid into the ice water. When the caramel is ready, the caramel will ball up and be easily pliable between your fingers. If it is still really soft and doesn’t come together in a ball, you’ll need to cook it for longer. If it hardens and is more like toffee, the caramel has been cooked too long.

How to store Microwave Caramels

How to freeze Microwave Caramel Recipe

Yes, you can! Just make sure that the caramel is wrapped well and then in an air tight container.

Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (4)

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Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (5)

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5 from 13 votes

Microwave Caramel Candies

By: Karli Bitner

Caramel Candy has never been easier to make! With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of time you can make rich, chewy caramel squares in your microwave.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes minutes

Cool Time: 4 hours hours

Servings: 25 Squares

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (111g) salted butter, if using salted butter, make sure to cover your bowl in the microwave
  • 2 cups (492g) brown sugar
  • 1 cup (340g) corn syrup
  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • flakey sea salt, optional

Instructions

  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter completely.

  • Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to the bowl and whisk until completely combined.

  • Microwave on high power for 5 minutes.

  • Stir and check the temperature of the mixture. Our goal is to get it to about 240°.

  • If you don't have a instant read thermometer, you can check the doneness by dropping a small spoonful into a cup with ice water. The texture of the caramel after it cools down in the ice water is what the texture of the caramel will be if you stopped cooking it right now. It should be soft and pliable, but not super hard or super soft.

  • If needed, return the caramel to the microwave and cook for an additional one minute and then check the temperature, repeating until the temperature has reached 240°f (115°c) or until it is done to your liking by the ice water test.

  • Stir in the vanilla extract.

  • Pour the caramel mixture into a buttered 8×8 pan.

  • Allow the caramel to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.

  • Then place the caramel in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until set.

  • Sprinkle with flakey sea salt, if desired.

  • Cut into desired shape and size, wrap in wax paper. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 27mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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Microwave Caramel Candy Recipe - Cooking With Karli (2024)

FAQs

How to melt caramel candies in the microwave? ›

To melt caramels using a microwave, open up a bag of soft caramels, unwrap the individual candies, and place them in a microwave-safe dish. Next, add milk to the bowl, or if you'd like a richer treat, add heavy cream instead. Then, place the bowl in the microwave and heat the caramels on HIGH for 1 minute.

Can you turn condensed milk into caramel in the microwave? ›

How to make caramel from a tin of condensed milk in a microwave - Quora. It's easy, as long as you have a nice large bowl. Empty a can of condensed milk into a bowl and microwave it for 3 minutes. Take it out, stir it, and do it again, watching carefully.

How to melt Brach's caramels? ›

Unwrap and put caramels and 2 Tablespoons water in medium saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat until caramels are completely melted (approx. 15 minutes), stirring constantly.

How to soften hard caramel candy? ›

If caramels are too hard, you can try placing them back in a saucepan, adding a couple tablespoons of water and stirring until the thermometer reads 242°F.

How long does it take to melt hard candy in the microwave? ›

Melt them for 2 minutes at 30 second intervals. If this does not work, try adding more or less time, depending on your microwave wattage.

Why is my microwave caramel lumpy? ›

A note about sugary or grainy caramels: If you find that your caramels are sugary or grainy, it is because sugar crystals were reintroduced to the caramel candy after it was cooked. The uncooked sugar causes sugar crystal regrowth in the finished product.

Is caramel just heated condensed milk? ›

In this recipe, sweetened condensed milk is cooked until it creates a deliciously rich caramel sauce! The best part is this recipe has ONE ingredient! Just one!

Does sweetened condensed milk turn into caramel when cooked? ›

Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, simmer for one-and-a-half to two hours, until the milk becomes thick and reaches the desired caramel color. Use aluminum foil to create a lid if you are using a saucepan and glass bowl.

What happens when you microwave sweetened condensed milk? ›

After the first two stirs, you'll notice that the milk bubbles and foams up as it expels moisture. Then, with each stirring, the milk will be thicker and more caramel colored. If after the 10 minutes, you like the color and consistency, stop!

Can caramels be melted in the microwave? ›

To melt caramels using a microwave, open up a bag of soft caramels, unwrap the individual candies, and place them in a microwave-safe dish. Next, add milk to the bowl, or if you'd like a richer treat, add heavy cream instead. Then, place the bowl in the microwave and heat the caramels on HIGH for 1 minute.

Can you melt Werther's hard caramels in microwave? ›

Combine caramels and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave mixture in 30-second increments, stirring between each increment, until caramels begin to melt, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes.

Do Werther's hard caramels melt? ›

Instructions. Melt Werther's Original Caramels with half and half, salt and vanilla in medium saucepan over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately with assorted fruit, cookie, pretzels, marshmallows, nuts or cubed pound cake.

Can I melt Werther's soft caramels? ›

Absolutely! Werther's Original Soft Crème and Chewy Caramels are ideal for baking. You can also use Soft Éclair Caramels for that caramel chocolate flavour profile. Just melt on medium low heat, add a little milk or cream until you get the consistency you want.

Why does my caramel keep hardening? ›

The water evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind. If even one sugar crystal falls back into the pan of cooking caramel, it starts a chain reaction of sugar crystals and the entire pan will harden.

What is the difference between hard caramel and soft caramel? ›

If the caramel forms a pliable soft ball, for instance, it's around 240°F. If it forms a hard ball, it's between 250°F to 260°F, etc. Sometimes recipes will even use the descriptors below to specify the stage your caramel should be cooked to.

Can I melt hard candy in microwave? ›

Other hard candies, like caramels, can be melted in the microwave — and so can Jolly Ranchers. All you have to do is pop your Jolly Ranchers into a microwave-safe bowl and heat them. Five melted Jolly Rancher candies will produce about a tablespoon of liquid, so scale the amount depending on how much you need.

How do you melt caramel without it sticking? ›

- Use cooking spray in the pot, bowl, pan or any other dish you choose to melt the caramel in, to help prevent it from sticking.

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