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Pure maple syrup and a splash of bourbon give these soft and buttery homemade maple bourbon caramels the most incredible flavor! Recipe makes 30 homemade maple caramels.
If you love soft and buttery caramels, you’ll love these maple syrup caramel candies.
A delicious twist on classic salted caramel candies, dark amber maple syrup and bourbon give these creamy caramels plenty of fall flavor. A sprinkle of flaky salt helps balance the sweetness.
If you’re not a bourbon fan, you can flavor the caramels with dark rum, pure vanilla extract, or with maple extract for an even more pronounced maple flavor – see guidance in the recipe card below.
Ingredients
- Cream – Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (36% milk fat).
- Butter – I use and recommend unsalted butter to control the salt level. See recipe note below about using salted butter.
- Bourbon – A splash of bourbon complements the rich maple taste.
- Salt – Use kosher salt or fine sea salt to make the caramel.
- Sugar – Use granulated sugar.
- Maple syrup – Use pure maple syrup. The color of the homemade caramels may vary slightly based on the type and grade of maple syrup you use.
- Flaky salt – For topping the caramels. I use and recommend flaky sea salt such as Maldon.
How to Make Maple Caramels
Prep ahead: Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and measure out all of the ingredients so that you can work quickly.
Heat heavy cream: Combine heavy cream, butter, bourbon, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir to combine. Once mixture reaches a gentle boil, immediately remove from heat and set aside.
Make sugar syrup: Combine granulated sugar and maple syrup in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir just at the beginning with a heatproof spatula; stop stirring once sugar begins to melt and liquefy. Continue cooking without stirring (to prevent crystallization) until the sugar syrup reaches 280°F on a digital or candy thermometer.
Add cream mixture to sugar mixture: Carefully pour warm heavy cream mixture into saucepan with sugar mixture (stand back; the ingredients will bubble and spatter). Continue to cook mixture until it reaches 245°F, stirring the mixture constantly with a heatproof spatula to prevent scorching and burning (don’t scrape down the sides of the pot).
Fill the pan: When mixture reaches 245°F, pour the caramel into prepared pan and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Top caramel with flaky salt.
Chill and cut caramels: Place uncovered pan in the refrigerator and cool for 1 hour to set. Lift parchment to remove caramel from pan and place on a cutting board. Spray a sharp knife with nonstick spray or wipe with a flavorless oil and trim any ragged edges; cut into 30 caramels.
Wrap candies: Wrap caramels individually in wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks.
Favorite maple recipes:
Did you try these Maple Syrup Caramels? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!
PrintMaple Bourbon Caramels
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 30 caramels
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Maple syrup and a splash of bourbon give these soft and buttery homemade maple bourbon caramels the most incredible flavor! Recipe yields 30 homemade maple caramels.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 Tbsp (24 g) bourbon
- 1/2 tsp (3 g) salt
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (170 g) dark amber maple syrup
- flaky salt, for topping
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Heat heavy cream: Combine heavy cream, butter, bourbon, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. As the butter melts, stir to combine. Once mixture reaches a gentle boil, immediately remove from heat and set aside.
- Make sugar syrup: Combine granulated sugar and maple syrup in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and heat to 280°F. Stir just at the beginning with a heatproof spatula; stop stirring once sugar begins to melt and liquefy. Continue cooking without stirring to prevent sugar crystals (swirl the pan occasionally if necessary) until the sugar syrup reaches 280°F.
- Finish the caramel: Carefully pour warm heavy cream mixture into saucepan with sugar mixture (stand back; the ingredients will bubble and spatter). The temperature will drop as soon as the cream mixture is added. Continue to cook caramel until it reaches 245°F, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula to prevent scorching and burning (don’t scrape down the sides of the pot).
- Fill the pan: When mixture reaches 245°F, pour the caramel into prepared pan and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Top caramel with flaky salt.
- Chill and cut caramels: Place uncovered pan in the refrigerator and cool for 1 hour to set. Lift parchment to remove caramel from pan and place on a cutting board. Spray a sharp knife with nonstick spray or wipe with a flavorless oil and trim any ragged edges; cut into 30 caramels.
- Wrap caramels individually in wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks.
Notes
Butter: You can use unsalted butter or salted butter. If using salted butter, omit the 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Bourbon alternatives: If you don’t want to use bourbon, you can flavor the caramels with 1 teaspoon (4 grams) vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) maple extract.
Flaky salt: I use a flaky sea salt like Maldon.
Larger Batches: I don’t recommend doubling the recipe for a larger batch of caramels unless you have very large, deep saucepans. The caramel mixture bubbles up vigorously during cooking.
Mine are still cooling but I tasted the bits that clung to the saucepan and OMG. These are so delicious!!
Thanks for getting back to me- I’m not at a high altitude, none of my other baking has any issues. I was confused about the temps in the recipe- heat the sugar and syrup to 280, then add the cream mixture and cook to 245… Should the temp then drop way down when you add the cream in? I didn’t cook mine really at all because the temp never lowered below 275. I feel like I either missed something or my thermometer must be way off
Yes, when you add the cream mixture to the pan with the sugar syrup in step 4, the temperature will immediately drop (to approximately 225°F). From there, the mixture needs to be cooked until it reaches 245°F so that it sets up.
This recipe sounded so good, and my caramel tastes great, but after 24 hours in the fridge, it’s still not even close to solid, it’s goopy almost in a sauce consistency- what did I do wrong?
Hi Lindsay, I’m sorry to hear this because I know how frustrating that is. Most likely, the caramel was undercooked and didn’t reach a high enough temperature during the cooking process. One suggestion for the future is to check the calibration of your candy thermometer to make sure that it’s accurate. One other thought – are you at altitude? If so, that can also affect the sugar cooking temperature.
loved this recipe! wondering how you get the colour consistent throughout the caramel with such infrequent stirring? mine came out delicious but colour varied heavily after pouring into dish.
Hi Cleo, so glad you tried this recipe! Once the sugar/maple mixture reaches 280°F and the heavy cream mixture is added, you can stir the mixture with a heatproof spatula. The key is just to stir the mixture and the bottom of the pan without scraping down the sides (to avoid any sugary crystals that may be sticking to the pan from falling into the caramel and ruining the texture).
I hope that helps for the future, and thank you for the great question which prompted me to update the recipe instructions. 🙂
I made these caramels…..oh my gosh….they were wonderful wonderful!! Recipe is a keeper!
Thanks Joan, so glad you tried them! 🙂
Just made these babies this afternoon . Wow. Melt in your mouth pleasure! Can’t wait to share them tomorrow . Thanks!!
Thanks for the feedback, Joan! So glad you liked the caramels! 🙂
they were a big hit, unbelievably creamy and smooth… i will make them again. i’m drooling just thinking about them. thanks for the recipe!
I see your recipe has no corn syrup which is what I was looking for. I’ve always made my caramels with corn syrup, but I want to try without. I tried to use this recipe, but I kept coming out with grainy caramels. Any suggestions?
Hi Amina, there are three causes for a grainy caramel:
1. They’ve been undercooked or overcooked, so it may be an issue with your candy thermometer.
2. Stirring after the mixture boils causes crystallization, so stop stirring as soon as the sugar begins to melt.
3. Humidity – humid weather can also negatively affect the texture of your caramels.
Hope these tips will help you! 🙂
These look great. Any ideas about what to substitute for the bourbon? I am not a fan of the bourbon flavor.
Hi Jane, if you don’t like bourbon then I’d go with a dark rum, or you could omit the bourbon and flavor it with a vanilla bean instead.