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I love homemade caramels however, I had been told how difficult they were to make so I would shy away from making them every year at the holidays.
NOT THIS YEAR! I took the challenge and I have to say these are scrumptious and worth every step I had to take to make them. The caramels have just a slight hint of bourbon and orange zest in them which you can hardly taste but makes these delightful candies just insanely good. This recipe was inspired by the recipe for these in Magnolia Table cookbook linked below.
You will need a candy thermometer to make these yummy nuggets so I linked one below.
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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 cup light color corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp bourbon
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp orange zest

Method
 

  1. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, extending the paper over the edges of the pan.
    In a 3-quart heavy sauce pan combine butter, sugar, 1 cup of cream, and the corn syrup. Bring to a boiler medium heat, stirring gently to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar.
    Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the sauce pan, reduce the heat to medium (mixture should boil at a moderate steady rate across the surface).
    Cook, without stirring, 35-40 minutes or until mixture is reaches 248°F (firm ball stage on the thermometer, then remove from heat.
    Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the remaining 1 tbsp of cream, the bourbon, vanilla, and orange zest. Gently stir in bourbon mixture into the caramel mixture being careful not to scape down the sides of the pan. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking pan.
    Let stand at room temperature about 2 hours or until cool and the mixture is firm. Use parchment paper to transfer uncut candy to a cutting board. Using a butter knife, cut into 72 pieces. Wrap candy in pieces of waxed paper, twisting the ends to seal.
    Place wrapped caramels in an air tight container. Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks.
    HAPPY EATING!!