Salted Pumpkin Caramels
We used organic canned pumpkin, but use homemade if you have it.
The pumpkin, cream and spices get heated to just below boiling. Looks good enough to drink!
Toasting the pepitas really brings out their nutty flavor -- we couldn't stop munching on them!
After we put the sugar and maple syrup in the pot, we noticed that it reminded us of making maple candy in the snow.
Cheese1227 is very precise with temperatures and instructions, which is helpful when making candy: first, you heat the sugar and syrups to 244 degrees.
In the meantime, Amanda uses a nifty trick to line the baking dish with parchment. Watch our upcoming video to see how it's done!
She cuts diagonal slits in each of the corners of a square of paper, when then allows the paper to fold over itself and fit snugly into the corners of the dish.
Curious eyes look on as Merrill butters the paper so that the caramel doesn't stick.
When adding the hot pumpkin and cream mixture to the sugar, you should work slowly and carefully, whisking all the time -- this is one of those times when having another set of hands really...
As cheese1227 explain, returning the candy to 240 degrees once you've added the pumpkin and cream can take a while -- it took us about 20 minutes.
Amanda tips the toasted pepitas into the pan, to form the bottom (later, the top) layer of the caramels.
The candy thickens, and the pumpkin color intensifies as it cooks down.
Once you reach 240 degrees, in go some butter and a splash of lemon juice.
Another time when four hands are better than two...
After the caramel has cooled a little in the pan, we added a generous sprinkling of sea salt.
We gently patted in the salt to make sure it would stick.
After waiting impatiently for a couple of hours for it to set completely, we turned the candy out of the dish.
The paper peels back easily, revealing a gorgeous candy mosiac.
It slices beautifully -- use a sharp knife, and dip it in hot water if you need to (we didn't).
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A&M say: Cheese1227's caramels really evoke the essence of fall, and her approach is elegant not heavy-handed. The earthiness of pumpkin, softened with cream, permeates each chewy bite, followed by a whisper of spice, and the delicate crunch of fleur de sel is a clever detail, offsetting the sweetness of the candy. The toasted pepitas are addictive even on their own (make sure to save some for the bottom of the baking dish!); they give each of the finished caramels a beautifully lacquered, dusty green cap. - A&M
cheese1227 says: I recently made the fetching brown butter pumpkin layer cake featured on the cover of the latest issue of Fine Cooking. That batter just cried out to be sampled. It tasted as I imagined pumpkin caramels would. Seeing as serving raw cake batter is frowned upon these days, I had to come up with a safer alternative to this wonderful taste profile. - cheese1227
Makes 64, 1-inch caramels
- 2/3 cup unsalted pepitas
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cups light corn syrup
- 1/3 cup good maple syrup
- 1/4 cup of water
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in chunks
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
- Dry toast the pepitos in a skillet until they start to pop.
- Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-in square glass pan with parchment. Butter the parchment on the sides of the pan. Evenly spread out the toasted pepitos on the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment.
- In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, pumpkin puree and spices. Get this mixture quite warm, but not boiling. Set aside.
- In a second heavy bottomed pan, with sides at least 4 inches high, combine the sugar, both syrups and water. Stir until the sugars are melted, Then let it boil until it reaches 244 degrees (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer). Then very carefully add the cream and pumpkin mixture, and slowly bring this mixture to 240 degrees as registered on a on a candy thermometer. This can take awhile -- like 30 minutes -- but don't leave the kitchen, watch it carefully and stir it more frequently once it hits 230 degrees to keep it from burning at the bottom of the pan.
- As soon as it reaches the 240, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Stir vigorously so that butter is fully incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let cool 30 minutes and sprinkle the salt over the top. Let the caramels fully set (at least 2 hours) before using a hot knife to cut them into 1-inch squares and wrapping them individually in waxed paper.
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5 days ago blmcmp
Thank you for the creative recipe! I have made these a few times - successfully, even after one time talking and the temp got way to high, but after adding the hot milk, they still turned out! Everyone who tasted these, loved them, and said they would try to make. They are not too sweet or too pumpkiny, and the texture is just right--they don't stick to your teeth. :O9
23 days ago tqbcl
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about 1 month ago aisha vax
This recipe is truly fantastic! One warning though, don't try the carmels until they've been refrigerated for a day at least. No one really I liked them at first and I was very disappointed. Next day was a whole different story. Chota Bheem
about 1 month ago mubcl
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about 1 month ago tightlinetv
Oh wow this was a great recipe, I cant wait to make it! web design melbourne fl
about 1 month ago StephyB
This recipe was on the Food52 Holiday App on my iPad - I can not overstate the awesomeness of these caramels - I'm about to make a second batch to keep all to myself as I gave the majority of the first batch away as gifts. I followed the directions to the letter and it came out great! Although to get them up the the correct temperature - it was almost an hour on the stove - but I had a small pot and had to keep the heat turned down a bit to keep it from boiling over. I used a digital thermometer and didn't pay attention to the "pre-settings" and just brought up to 244 and 240 respectively. I also made a second batch substituting applesauce for the pumpkin and walnuts for the pepitas - they were good - but not as good as the pumpkin.
5 days ago blmcmp
Thanks! I was wondering if I could try applesauce and walnuts!!! I noticed with the pumpkin caramels, they def tasted better the next day, because I made some batches a few days in a row, and the ones that sat a bit tasted richer. I also noticed the size of the pan can make a diff as I was cooking with my daughter, and my two pans were about an ~1-inch difference in width, resulting in better candy making in the smaller pan.
about 1 month ago hazelsharon
I am visited many other blog site and read attentively your each post. Afrer reading your post i could understand that the content is most simple and great. Thank you for your great share. Also this is my 1st visit at your site and after visiting your site i enjoyed.
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2 months ago lighthouse6
Okay, I just made these for a dessert auction ...again. I doubled the recipe. Used two thermometers and my lazer one was reading much lower. So I decided to use that one to be sure I got it hot enough. I took the temp to 146 after the cream/pumpkin. I was busy talking to a friend and poured it all out in the half sheet and realized that I had forgotten the butter and lemon juice! So, I scraped it all back into the pan added everything and had to stir in the pumpkin seeds. It all came out perfectly but not as cute as when the seeds are on the bottom. They are very soft, hold their shape when cut and taste great : ) Everyone wants the recipe!
2 months ago Tracey Wade
I read several recipes for caramel... I let mine reach 248 - and still they didn't set. When I try again, I'll have a better thermometer - and will shoot for 248.
2 months ago ngardos
maybe caramel is like bread and sensitive to climate, air temp, type of vessel used, etc. each time i make them, i learn something new and experiment a bit. Still an amazing recipe and crowd pleaser.
2 months ago ngardos
I'm curious if the editors feel the need to tweak the temp a bit higher than 240, I've made these like 3 times and my guess is it should reach a slightly higher temp to get firm enough to still be chewy. Thoughts?
2 months ago Tracey Wade
I made these and according to my thermometer, they should have been good... but they were gooey and will be gifted as caramel sauce - the flavor is delicious. I guess I need to invest in a better thermometer. Thank you for the recipe.
2 months ago abbyarnold
Jnnbugg, I'd check the calibration of your thermometer. The first time I made these, I found four different thermometers in my kitchen drawers, and all gave different temps. I invested in one really good thermometer. Go by the time as well as the temp; make sure your goop is cooked long enough to set up properly. You can use some of the old cold spoon or cold water tricks.
2 months ago jnnbugg
I tried making this recipe twice both time super delicious! Love the flavors. But the consistency for me is pretty gooey. What would I need to do to make the consistency more firm? Thank you!
3 months ago Tracey Wade
Another quick question - how long will these keep? I want to ship them in a cookie box, after sitting for a week. Is that doable?
3 months ago cheese1227
Yes, wrapped and kept cool (room temp in my house in the winter in the northeast rarely gets above 65F), I've had these around for 2 weeks.
3 months ago Tracey Wade
Can I double (or more) the recipe and still make it work? about how many caramel sized squares does this recipe make? Thank you.
3 months ago cheese1227
I have doubled it in the past. And just split the mixture between two, 8X8 prepared pans, each of which yields 64, 1-inch square caramels.
3 months ago ABarry
I was so disappointed in this recipe - it was a disaster. I've made caramels plenty of times (Ina Garten's recipe comes out perfectly every time), but this one was a train wreck. Wanted to bring these to a potluck but had to bring something else instead, last minute. A good reminder not to try new recipes for potlucks.
3 months ago cheese1227
Oh no. I am sorry for your lost ingredients. Did they not set, get grainy, were too hard? How do you qualify a recipe a disaster?
3 months ago ABarry
I used a candy thermometer and made sure to follow the temperature precisely. I let it cool for 3 hours before taking it out of the pan with the intention of cutting it the next morning. Well, the next morning, it was a giant blob on my counter. I tasted it anyway (I probably would've just eaten it if it at least tasted good), and the flavor was cloying, with a dull pumpkin flavor. I had such high hopes for this recipe, especially since it's so beautifully visually.
3 months ago cheese1227
I keep them in the pan until I am able to cut and wrap them. For a a chewable caramel, I believe you want some give. As for the taste, I guess there is no accounting for it, as they say. I've not been told before these were cloying and they've been served to and revisited by hundreds of others.
3 months ago ABarry
We'll agree to disagree then. :) My comments weren't meant to be a personal attack on your recipe or you, and I'm sorry if it came across that way. I was simply stating my experience and opinion. No recipe will be liked by every single person, right? I'm glad many others enjoyed them. It's an inventive recipe and visually beautiful - it just wasn't for me.
3 months ago lighthouse6
That is very strange that you had problems with this recipe. I have made it many many times over the past couple holidays. People beg for these as gifts!!! Mine are always soft and chewy with a wonderful sweet pumpkin flavour. These have been a winner everytime - I can't imagine what went wrong in your prep. Now I always double the recipe and have not had problems with that either... This is a true contest winner!
3 months ago ABarry
Boy, I'm starting to feel like it's not ok to express any opinion other than complete adoration on this site. I'm new to Food52 and was so excited about finding this community, but I have to say...this thread kind of puts me off.
3 months ago lighthouse6
That's funny : ) I don't think I said anything personal but just stated my experience with these great caramels ... I LOVE to know opinions about recipes, that is how I choose the next great thing to place upon my table. I think that we just all try not to be insulting and rude to others who dare to put themself out there. This is a fabulous food community and offers a wealth of information, recipes and cooking instruction. Kindness goes a long way and if you think you can improve upon a recipe we all want to know about it - give your suggestions, share the process, tell us how you have made it better or work for you. You can do all this without insulting others.
3 months ago AllyKrue
Oh, forgot to add that step 4 took nearly an hour! The temp would not go up above about 200, but then suddenly ... Bang! It went up very quickly to 244. Fortunately I was hovering over the pot and got it off the stove right away. Consistency came out perfectly!
3 months ago cheese1227
The size of the pan makes the timing on these vary greatly. I'm very pleased they worked for you.
3 months ago AllyKrue
This recipe is truly fantastic! One warning though, don't try the carmels until they've been refrigerated for a day at least. No one really I liked them at first and I was very disappointed. Next day was a whole different story.
3 months ago cheese1227
Interesting, was it the flavor or the consistency that changed for you? I don't tend to refrigerate them and I eat them straight away.
2 months ago AllyKrue
It was the flavor, actually. The consistency was good at first and remained so. In any event, I took most of them to work and they got rave reviews and requests for the recipe, so bravo cheese1227!
3 months ago theminx
Just made these as a test for possible Christmas gifts - they are wonderful!
3 months ago cheese1227
I hope your recipients are pleased.