12 Days of Homemade Christmas: Sea Salt Caramels with Vanilla Bean

in Candy, Christmas, Holiday Favorites

These are my husband’s absolute, hands-down, no-contest favorite Christmas goodie. They’re also my favorite non-chocolate Christmas goodie. And they’re absolutely delicious: bite-sized, rich, buttery caramels studded with pretty flecks of vanilla bean. They’re sweet, buttery, and salty all at the same time. And addicting. Betcha can’t eat just 5.

Every year, we make a few batches and drop a Foodie Groom-sized handful into everyone’s goodie bag. The upside is that everyone loves them. The downside is the wrapping process. 64 candies per batch. My husband cuts the squares, I wrap the candies. There are far worse chores to do (like the dishes!) but it’s still a bit tedious. May I suggest that you grab a glass of wine, or keep it G-rated with a mug of hot chocolate, and crank up the Christmas music? Or our interpretation: Battlestar Galactica Season 2. Sometimes I’m surprised that we don’t die of geek overdose around here 🙂

Get the recipe: Fleur de Sel Caramels with Vanilla Bean

The 12 Days of Homemade Christmas 2010
Swirly Chocolate-Peppermint Bark Fleur de Sel Caramels Chocolate Crackles Tahitian Vanilla Beans Peppermint Chunk Cookies Red, White, and Green Biscotti
Cranberry Pecan Bread Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix Homemade Red Wine Vinegar Homemade Granola Homemade Marshmallows

13 comments… add one
  • Beth Hansen

    Yum! These looks SO good! I adore homemade caramels – soft and gooey and delicious!

  • These are on my list of treats to make this year.

  • That’s a lot of work, but from the picture i think all those effort worth it

  • Oh, yum. My family also makes homemade caramels every year for Christmas and it’s one of my favorite traditions. Love the idea to put fleur de sel on top!

  • Brandi

    OMG! These look awesome. I may have to show up on your doorstep…

  • Jennifer

    LOL…I only just recently discovered Battlestar Gallactica. Thank you Netflix streaming they have all episodes available!

    These look fantastic. Thank you for the inspiration!

  • I love caramels and would definitely like to try making them at home some time- bookmarked 🙂

  • Oh wow! These look amazing! Will give them a go.
    Thanks for all the great recipes!
    xox

  • I made one batch of these today, realized how amazing these are then proceeded to make another batch only doubled. I also used pink Himalayan sea salt because that’s what I had on hand. This are perfect. I can’t wait to try this recipe with other flavors.

  • Nicole

    Unbelievable! I just made these and they are truly the best caramels I’ve ever had! I didn’t have quite enough heavy cream, so I had to supplement with 2% milk. Even my husband, who isn’t a big fan of caramel, LOVED these! I’m taking some to a Hanukkah Party tomorrow as a gift!

    Thanks!

  • Caitlin

    Love the picture- the caramel color of the wood in the background looks great with the caramels!
    And you are right- I probably couldn’t eat just five…

  • I made some caramels this morning and used my trusty (circa 1996) recipe, but sprinkled the tops with salt (kosher salt, since I didn’t have any fleur de sel). My goodness, the salt contrasts quite nicely with the sweet caramel! Thank you for the post!

  • I made this for my work holiday luncheon last week and everyone RAVED about it! So yummy! I love it.

Leave a Comment

Cancel