Maldon Sea-salt Caramels

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Line a half-sheet baking pan with two sheets of parchment paper, allowing it to drape over the long sides, then spray the paper lightly with oil.

2. 2

   In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and corn syrup and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is golden brown. Don't stir, but roll the mixture around in the pan, tipping it side-to-side.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, bring the cream, butter, and the 2 teaspoons of fine sea salt to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

4. 4

   When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful -- it will bubble up violently. Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248º F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.

5. 5

   Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan, cool for 20 minutes, and refrigerate for several hours until firm.

6. 6

   When the caramel is cold, pry the parchment sheet from the pan, and place onto a cutting board. Let the caramel warm a bit so that you can work with it. Place the board with the long side toward you. Coat the knife with canola oil spray and cut the rectangle in half from top to bottom. Turn your cutting board so the shorter side is toward you. Then cut each half in half top to bottom. Working with each piece and starting with a long side, roll the caramel up tightly into an 8-inch-long log. You will have 4 logs.

7. 7

   Sprinkle the log with Maldon sea salt, trim the ends evenly, and cut into eight pieces. The best way to do this is to coat the knife with canola oil spray, cut the log in half, and then continue cutting each piece in half until you have eight equal pieces.

8. 8

   Wrap each caramel individually in candy wrappers, twisting the ends. Store in the refrigerator and serve the caramels chilled.