Honey Caramel: Sauce, Soft Candies and Salted Drizzle

How honey caramel differs from sugar caramel

Classic caramel starts with white sugar heated until it melts and turns amber. Honey is already a syrup of glucose and fructose with its own flavor and color, so you do not need to melt sugar first. Fructose browns at a lower temperature than table sugar, so honey caramel darkens faster and can scorch if you walk away. The flavor is rounder and more aromatic, and it changes with every honey.

Candy temperatures to know

Sugar syrups pass through stages as water boils off and the temperature climbs. The Exploratorium describes each stage by how a drop behaves in cold water. For honey caramel, these are the key ones:

Honey caramel sauce

In a heavy saucepan, combine half a cup of honey, half a cup of heavy cream, three tablespoons of butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring. Simmer five to eight minutes, until it thickens slightly and reaches about 225 to 230°F. Remove from heat and stir in half a teaspoon of vanilla. The sauce thickens as it cools and keeps two weeks in the fridge.

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Simmer to 225 to 230°F

Soft honey caramel candies

Line an 8-inch pan with buttered parchment. In a heavy pot, combine one cup of honey, one cup of heavy cream, four tablespoons of butter and half a teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until the thermometer reads 245 to 250°F, about 15 to 20 minutes. Pour into the pan, sprinkle with flaky salt and let set for several hours. Cut into squares and wrap in wax paper.

Salted honey caramel

Salt makes caramel taste less sweet and more complex. Add half a teaspoon of fine salt to the sauce, or top candies with flaky sea salt. Salted honey caramel is delicious on brownies, cheesecake, popcorn and baked apples.

Avoiding burnt caramel

Use a heavy-bottomed pot that spreads heat evenly, keep the heat at medium rather than high, and stir gently along the bottom. A candy thermometer clipped to the pot removes guesswork. Darker honeys already look brown, so rely on temperature and smell, not color. If it smells acrid or bitter, start again.

Avoiding grainy caramel

Graininess happens when sugar crystals form in the syrup. Honey's mix of glucose and fructose naturally resists crystallizing during cooking, which is one reason it makes smooth caramel. Still, avoid scraping crystallized bits from the sides of the pot into the caramel, and do not stir vigorously after it reaches temperature.

Ways to use honey caramel

Drizzle the sauce over ice cream, apple slices, pancakes and coffee. Dip apples for caramel apples, swirl into honey whipped cream, or pour over honey popcorn for a quick caramel corn. Soft caramels make lovely holiday gifts.

Storage

Store honey caramel sauce covered in the fridge for up to two weeks and warm gently before using. Wrapped caramel candies keep about two weeks at cool room temperature or a month in the fridge. Humidity makes them sticky, so keep them sealed.

Kitchen safety

Hot sugar syrup can cause serious burns. Keep children away from the stove, never taste caramel from the spoon while it is hot, and add cream slowly since it can bubble up. Have a bowl of cold water nearby in case of splashes.

Which honey for caramel

Raw Buckwheat Honey, harvested in New York State, makes a dark, malty caramel with notes of molasses. Raw Clover Honey, also from New York State, gives a light, classic caramel. Raw Orange Blossom Honey, from Florida, makes a fragrant caramel that pairs with chocolate.

Sugar and serving size

Honey caramel is a dessert. A tablespoon of sauce has about 60 to 70 calories. The American Heart Association suggests limiting added sugars, so enjoy a drizzle rather than a pool.

Dairy-free honey caramel

Swap heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk and butter for coconut oil. The sauce has a gentle coconut flavor and works especially well with orange blossom honey on tropical fruit.

The takeaway on honey caramel

Honey caramel is smooth and flavorful, and it skips the sugar-melting step. Use medium heat and a thermometer, cook to about 225°F for sauce and 245 to 250°F for chewy candies, and choose a honey for the color and flavor you want.

Honey for your caramel

Try Raw Buckwheat Honey for a dark caramel and Raw Clover Honey for a classic one. Save with a 3 jar or 6 jar pack of any honey, and orders over $50 ship free. Visit our shop.