How to make caramel – and 5 fabulous caramel recipes to try

How to make caramel

1. Fill the sink with cold water, ready for later.

2. It’s essential to use a heavy-based saucepan when making caramel. Put the sugar in the pan and add just enough water to dissolve it, then set over a medium heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring as soon as the syrup is clear.

3. When the syrup starts to bubble, use a wet pastry brush to stroke down any crystals on the sides of the pan. Patience is a virtue at this point. Allow the syrup to bubble away but keep an eye on the pan at all times, regularly tilting it gently as the syrup changes colour, so it doesn’t catch and burn on the bottom of the pan.

4. When the caramel is a dark amber colour (after 4-5 minutes), remove the pan from the heat and dip the bottom of it into the sink of water, stopping the cooking process instantly.

Five of our best caramel recipes

Juniper millionaire’s shortbread
Buttery shortbread base, squidgy caramel centre and thick chocolate top: millionaire’s shortbread is a trifecta of deliciousness. We’ve given this teatime favourite a modern twist with the addition of floral juniper. If you want to keep things classic though, the recipe works just as well without the spicing. The choice is up to you!

Sea salt caramels
To make the perfect soft-but-set caramels, pour the liquid mixture into a lined baking dish then tap the dish a few times onto your countertop to remove any air bubbles before leaving to cool. We’ve added a twist of grapefruit and black pepper to these homemade sweets to cut through the buttery richness, but you can experiment with your own flavour combos.

Caramelised white chocolate
We’re going to share some dangerous knowledge here: how to caramelise the sugars in white chocolate. Dangerous… Because once you know how to make this incredible golden caramelised chocolate, you won’t be able to stop. Use it to make this gorgeous cheesecake or these madeleines, for starters.

Caramel-centre cookies
Dark chocolate cookies with a secret caramel centre… What’s not to love? The hidden middles are made with a cheeky shortcut: shop-bought soft caramels. Already made the homemade caramels recipe above? Hold some back to conceal in these easy cookies.

Salted caramel tarte tatin
Salted caramel makes a brilliant addition to a tarte tatin. In this recipe for the timeless French dessert, we’ve used juicy, fragrant braeburn apples, which pair perfectly with the rich, salty caramel. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side wouldn’t go amiss.

For more inspiration, take a look through our complete caramel recipes collection, which includes gorgeous food gifts, pancakes, puds and bakes.