Salted Butter Rum Caramels
Salted Butter Rum Caramels are just about the best thing you’ll ever put in your mouth! They’re heaven shaped in delicious little squares!
If you’ve never had a homemade caramel, you are missing out my friends. I’ve had ones from candy stores that aren’t bought off the grocery store shelf and they’re good, really good. But these little beauties are on a whole new level. I don’t know if it’s the butter or the rum, okay it’s probably the rum, but these caramels are freaking a-wait for it-mazing!
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This recipe is actually from Le Cordon Bleu. That’s right. It’s the big time. Back in October, I went to the Food Fight Write Conference in Vegas with Aubrey, Rachel, Laura, and Wendy. It was a great trip, apart from me being sick (like really sick) and losing my voice day 2. We had amazing conference sessions. That conference is what actually inspired this site. It made an impression on me and the way I wanted to be doing things.
Anywho, we got to spend an afternoon eating and watching the teaching chefs of Le Cordon Bleu cook and it rocked! We got these nifty recipe cards for a lot of the food we tried too. And now here we are eating the best caramel recipe you’ll ever make. Hide them. Trust me. If you don’t they’ll disappear.
Salted Butter Rum Caramels
Ingredients
- 2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Pinch Kosher salt
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon spiced rum or dark rum divided (I used Sailor Jerry's Rum)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Flaked sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough paper for it to come up the sides of the dish. Spray paper with a good coating of non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, and 1/2 cup rum. Heat over medium-high heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.
- Bring mixture to a boil and continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 245 degrees F.
- Remove candy from heat, stir in 1 tablespoon rum and vanilla. (The mixture will bubble when the liquids are added, be careful.)
- Pour caramel mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the top with sea salt over the top of the caramels - you just want a little salt all over the place, don't go crazy!
- Let caramels sit out and cool for 90 minutes. Lift the parchment paper from the baking dish and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the caramels into 1-inch squares, or into small rectangles, and wrap in waxed paper. Twist the edges to seal to candy.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try making them. Pinned to remember the recipe. This is my first time coming across your blog – LOVE THE NAME! <3
Thank you so much for the kind words Kristy. I can’t wait to keep making you hungry!
Homemade caramels are always the way to go!
You can just send these my way – I won’t mind! 😀
Uh, YUM! Enough said.
Hi, These sound amazing! If I wanted to give them as a gift, how far ahead can I make them?
I had my caramels on a jar on the counter for a week, and then moved them to the fridge. It’s been over a week there and they’re still good.
Just found ur site this morning always looking for good n easy things to make for my family looking forward to more of them!!! Thank you I’m so glad I seen this
I’m glad you found us too Barb! Thank you for the kind words. 🙂
Hey Julie, these look so amazing. When you make your next batch send me some! haha Thanks for linking up last week at Creativity Unleashed. I picked you for one of our RockStars. Voting is now open for our MegaRockstar and I have begun the campaign on your behalf. Fingers crossed you win! xoxo http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/creativity-unleashed-link-party/
Hi Jocie! Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to shout it out too! I still have some in my fridge (my some miracle), give me your address!
you were our big winner at Creativity Unleashed!! Yay, i love when my pick wins (okay, i’m a bit competitive! haha) Thanks so much for linking up and you will be featured again this Thursday, plus pinned and given lots of social media love from all the link party cohosts! woo woot. xoxo
Woo! It’s pays to have friends. Haha. Thank you so much for featuring my recipe. 🙂
OMG- FFW was the best conference ever! And these caramels? ahhhmazing!
Just mixed these up…….90 minutes will be a long wait…..smells delicious! !!!
Awesome! I’d love to hear how they come out for you. 🙂
all the comments but no one mentioned if they
Had made them or how they turned out.. Maybe I missed it
Funny you should mention that! 🙂 One of our fabulous readers was nice enough to share her experience making (and eating) them on Instagram. https://instagram.com/p/11Ag-Lp52g/
I’m making my third batch of these today…they are LUCIOUS!!! I use Captain Morgan Tattoo Rum for the most incredible rum flavor. You’re right…they disappear in a heartbeat and this is my most requested recipe!
I’m so glad!! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Made these for teacher gifts and brought some to work and received rave reviews from everyone. Thank you for posting this recipe. I followed the directions to the letter, using Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum and they turned out perfect!
Oh I’m so glad!! These are definitely one of my favorite indulgences!
I tried this recipe several times and I just can’t seem to get it right. They either come out too soft, even though I cook it to the temperature that it says in recipe or they come out grainy tasting. Please advise because the taste is amazing…………I just can’t get them to the right consistency.
Hi Laurie! Let me make them again and see what I can figure out for you. I’ll reach out to some baking/candy bloggers I know and see if they have any tips for you too.
I found this recipe while looking for rum caramels to make for my sweetie’s birthday. He’s on a salted caramel thing – so these look perfect!
I promise to check back in after I make them!
Does the alcohol cook out?
Hi MJ. Not all of the alcohol will cook out. You could try substituting rum extract (6 tablespoons) but that’s a lot of extract and I’m not sure how the resulting flavor would come out.
These are delicious but they never set up for me. I’m not sure what I did wrong! I’m going to call them caramel sauce. 😊
I’ve had this happen too. No idea why since most of the time the recipe comes out just right. If you chill the caramels in the fridge (in the pan) they’ll set up enough to cut. But as they sit out at room them, they’ll start to lose their shape. :/ Wrapping the chilled caramels in waxed paper or cellophane will help them hold their shape.
Option B is to let the caramel mixture heat in the pan longer, this will cause the sugars to breakdown more = firmer caramels. That being said 1-2 degrees F more will make a difference, it’s worth calibrating your thermometer in boiling water if you think it needs it.
You can also do a ball test. Keep a bowl of ice water next to the saucepan. Spoon a little of the caramel into the bowl and once it chills/sets up, if it’s the right texture you’re good to go. If it’s way too soft, keeping cooking. I hope this helps!!