Black Pepper and Bourbon Caramel Chews Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Black Pepper and Bourbon Caramel Chews Recipe (1)

Total Time
40 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
4(365)
Notes
Read community notes

Soft caramels are not inherently elegant, but these are thanks to a gentle sprinkle of black pepper and a dash of bourbon. The recipe does require a candy thermometer.

Featured in: Neighbors Won’t Give Candy Like This

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Ingredients

Yield:50 pieces

  • 420grams granulated sugar (about 2 cups)
  • 2cups heavy cream
  • 6tablespoons honey
  • 2tablespoons bourbon
  • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2teaspoons black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)

290 calories; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 37 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 56 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Black Pepper and Bourbon Caramel Chews Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment and coat with cooking spray.

  2. Step

    2

    In a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, combine sugar, cream, honey, bourbon and salt. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot. Cook mixture, stirring frequently, until it reaches 245 degrees, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the pot. Quickly stir in butter and pepper.

  3. Step

    3

    Pour mixture into prepared pan. Let cool completely until it is set to a semi-firm consistency, about an hour. Cut into 50 rectangular pieces and wrap in parchment paper, cellophane or other candy wrappers, twisting ends to seal.

Ratings

4

out of 5

365

user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Jimmy Caramel

These were great but I couldn't taste the bourbon at all. Next time, I'll use 1/4 cup bourbon (4 tbsp) and reduce it down on its own to a light syrupy consistency to cook off the alcohol and add it at the end with the butter.

Brad

I followed the 4 tbs bourbon advice and increased to 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt.Good, soft, sweet and savory.What’s not to like?!

GoingSmaller

100% agree on using a larger pot than 2 qt. This will come close to doubling in size while boiling. It probably took 30+ minutes for it to come to temp, on the largest burner at the highest temp.If the wrapping aspect is frustrating, it might help to freeze them briefly before cutting.

John L

The temp is way off in this recipe. If you bring it to 250 and let cook for a minute or two you get a better consistency. Just keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. You can even go as high as 275 for a caramel that’s easily cut into small squares.

kristina

I've made Ina Garten's caramel candy for years and will try to blend her recipe with this one. Her recipe requires the caramel to be chilled; cutting is easier and wrapping always takes a while. Buy candy wrappers instead of cutting parchment or wax paper. The money spent is well worth the time.

Janice

Make sure you use a 3-qt or larger saucepan--I started in a 2-quart pan and had to switch to a larger one because the mixture was boiling over. These are good, but cutting and wrapping them was a sticky and fairly time-consuming process. Wish the bourbon taste came through a bit more.

Jeanette

Highly recommend using corn syrup instead of honey- don't panic- not high-fructose corn syrup, just regular ol' Karo. I promise it won't hurt hurt you. It really helps to elevate the bourbon and pepper flavor- honey is a bit overpowering. Oh, also, double the booze! And mix in about a teaspoon of flaky salt along with the pepper (in lieu of the salt indicated in the recipe). Heat to around 255-260, and sprinkle with more flaky salt about 20 minutes after pouring into the baking dish. Divine!

Susan

Fabulous taste! Unfortunately I was unable to set the caramel despite 4 hours in the freezer and a previous 8 hours in the fridge, which was all subsequent to cooling in the room. I set aside the candy wrappers for small plastic disposable Tupperware and called it sundae sauce. When life gives you lemons... next time I will bring the temp to 275 as the notes suggested.

Kristin

nutsnbolts, I'm not an experienced candy maker. I was surprised how long it took the caramel to get to the right temp - and by that point it'd been boiling for a long while so I think any alcohol would evaporate and be undetectable. I thought of maybe adding the alcohol after the caramel reaches the correct temperature, but I wonder if that would affect the consistency. They're already pretty soft.

Jeanette

These were so successful. I doubled the recipe without any issues. As advised by the notes, I added double the bourbon. I also sprinkled salt on top of the finished caramels. I found that heating the caramel to 260 degrees produced a perfect caramel. They set in about an hour and were simple to cut through- not sticky at all, melt in the mouth chews.

Kristin

I reduced the pepper to 1 1/2 t and liked it - I think 2 t would have been a bit much for my taste. The bourbon flavor is, disappointingly, undetectable. But the pepper gives it a unique enough flavor that I really like the caramels and would make them again.

MY NOTES

My 8”x8” pan produced a 7.5”x7.5” slab of caramel. To get 50 pieces I cut them in 1.5”x.75” pieces but I think I could have gone smaller. Erred on the side of caution and cooked to 250° which produced a medium-firm caramel. Next time will try to 245° as written and will reduce pepper by at least a quarter. Flavor was good, but I thought the spice was a little too strong. Bourbon not detectable.

Suzinsf

For those noting that it takes a good long while for the mixture to come to temp, yes. The water portion of the cream and bourbon has to reduce way down and a small 2 qt pot has a larger volume compared to the surface area of the bottom of the pot, which means it takes longer still. Bravo to those who suggested using a 3 qt pot, that did the trick! Interesting flavors and I've purchased some bourbon extract to add to the mix to bump up the bourbon flavor next time I make these.

shawna

I heated to 255 as recommended by many commenters, and the caramels are not soft. I’m going try again and heat just to 245 as prescribed in the recipe for soft caramels. I purchased silicone caramel molds from Amazon so the shapes are perfect and no need to mess with cutting. I did spray the silicone molds with cooking spray.

lauren egh

This never set, unfortunately. Smelled great but will use other recipes going forward.

Merry

Made for the first time today and turned out great! Giving as office gifts, so swapped out the bourbon for 4 tbl orange zest and kept the black pepper at 1.5 tsp. Turned out balanced and very tasty. Definitely agree with others about getting to at least 250F and use a much larger pot. I used my 4 quart Dutch oven and even that felt perilously close to bubbling over.

Dophis

I made 2 batches. The first per the recipe but I heated to higher than 245 as some suggested and they came out edible but too hard. Honey flavor strong, quite peppery, bourbon very faint. Second batch is the keeper: used Karo instead of honey per another commenter’s suggestion, reduced pepper to 1 1/2 tsp., added 3 Tbs bourbon at beginning, and a fourth very gradually just before 245. Removed from heat and stirred in the butter and pepper. This batch perfect consistency and dangerously yum.

Dophis

PS good topped with flaky salt. Scant teaspoon.

Jill W.

On my candy thermometer, 245 degrees was exactly right. Look for a golden caramel color and do a taste test. If the syrup start to set on your stainless steel spoon before you get it to your mouth, it’s ready. I increased bourbon to 4 tablespoons and added it very slowly at the very end. Added a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt to the top and chilled it in the fridge for 2 hours before cutting. Have your candy wraps ready and work fast. These were really good.

Jeanette

Highly recommend using corn syrup instead of honey- don't panic- not high-fructose corn syrup, just regular ol' Karo. I promise it won't hurt hurt you. It really helps to elevate the bourbon and pepper flavor- honey is a bit overpowering. Oh, also, double the booze! And mix in about a teaspoon of flaky salt along with the pepper (in lieu of the salt indicated in the recipe). Heat to around 255-260, and sprinkle with more flaky salt about 20 minutes after pouring into the baking dish. Divine!

Sydney H.

Doubled the bourbon and still didn’t taste it. Too much pepper for my taste. In addition to that the recipe doesn’t work. Too chewy and after I wrapped them individually with wax paper they crystallized (this could be because I added more bourbon but still thought I’d mention).

Julie

Doubled recipe, including bourbon, but limiting pepper to 3 tsp. Cooked it in aDutch oven and spread finished caramel in 9 x13 baking dish). Took about 1 hour to reach 148. Caramel seemed to soften too much after adding butter and pepper (I checked it using the cold water test), so I put it back on stove to cook back to 148. Perfect chewiness after sitting out at room temperature for a few hours. These will pair nicely with gel de sel salted caramels in gift baggies.

Jeanette

These were so successful. I doubled the recipe without any issues. As advised by the notes, I added double the bourbon. I also sprinkled salt on top of the finished caramels. I found that heating the caramel to 260 degrees produced a perfect caramel. They set in about an hour and were simple to cut through- not sticky at all, melt in the mouth chews.

kinzy

I have made caramels in the past-and they have to sit for 24 hours before cutting, or at least overnight; also, make sure you make them on a dry day.

Rosemarie

Can you use half and half instead of heavy cream? I always have that on hand. Want to make this but not have to run to the store.

Baba

Has anyone used Lyle's Golden Syrup in place of the honey?

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Black Pepper and Bourbon Caramel Chews Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between hard and soft caramel? ›

The caramel will seize up, and its consistency once it does so will give you a sense of its temperature. If the caramel forms a pliable soft ball, for instance, it's around 240°F. If it forms a hard ball, it's between 250°F to 260°F, etc.

Why is my homemade caramel hard? ›

The water evaporates, leaving sugar crystals behind. If even one sugar crystal falls back into the pan of cooking caramel, it starts a chain reaction of sugar crystals and the entire pan will harden. The result? Gross, grainy caramel that is unusable in most recipes.

Can you melt chewy caramels? ›

Many recipes call for caramel, but if you don't have the time to make it from scratch, the easiest thing to do is to melt some caramel candies. The key to getting it right is to use soft caramels as opposed to hard. You must also add some sort of liquid, such as milk or cream, to prevent the caramels from drying out.

How to keep melted caramel from hardening? ›

To help prevent the caramel from crystallizing, you can add an acid to the sugar before you begin: add about half a tablespoon of lemon juice to each cup of sugar and mix it with your hands; it should be the consistency of wet sand. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat until it melts.

What are the three types of caramel? ›

Caramel can be produced in so many forms such as, sauce, a chewy candy, or a hard candy because of how much of an ingredient is added and the temperature it is being prepared at.

Can you make hard caramel into soft caramel? ›

If caramels are too hard, you can try placing them back in a saucepan, adding a couple tablespoons of water and stirring until the thermometer reads 242°F. Pour back into a prepared buttered pan.

What not to do when making caramel? ›

Avoid these, and it'll be sweet—er, smooth—sailing.
  1. Using the Wrong Pot. You can't make a caramel sauce with a thin or flimsy pot. ...
  2. Dumping in All of the Sugar at Once. Adding all of your sugar in one go means that it won't liquefy uniformly. ...
  3. Not Setting up Your Mise en Place.
Nov 11, 2015

How to make caramel set harder? ›

You could try cooking the mixture for a little longer, and seeing if it sets up firmer. Otherwise 2. your caramel turned out exactly as the recipe intended, and the resulting bar is meant to be eaten cold (from the fridge) which would keep it firmer, and which you don't mention doing.

Why add butter to caramel? ›

Once the sugar has all dissolved and turned brown, we add butter. The heat of the caramel will melt the butter and create even more wonderful flavors.

Do Werthers Original chewy caramels melt? ›

Absolutely! Werther's Original Soft Crème and Chewy Caramels are ideal for baking. You can also use Soft Éclair Caramels for that caramel chocolate flavour profile. Just melt on medium low heat, add a little milk or cream until you get the consistency you want.

Can you melt down Werther's hard caramels? ›

Instructions. Melt Werther's Original Caramels with half and half, salt and vanilla in medium saucepan over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately with assorted fruit, cookie, pretzels, marshmallows, nuts or cubed pound cake.

What happened to Kraft caramels? ›

In a deal that touches the taste buds of several generations, Kraft Foods Inc. will sell the business that makes its familiar cube-shaped caramels. An investment group made up of Texas Pacific Group of Fort Worth and InterWest Partners of Menlo Park, Calif. will buy the Kraft caramel and marshmallow businesses.

Why add vinegar to caramel? ›

Add acid. Acid ingredients (like vinegar or lemon juice) can help prevent re-crystallization which causes caramel to become grainy. Acid physically breaks the bonds between the glucose and fructose molecules that form sucrose and ensure that it stays apart.

What is the difference between caramel and carmel? ›

Carmel and caramel are not different spellings of the same word. Caramel is the correct spelling if you're talking about food or colors. Carmel is a misspelling when used in those contexts, but it is a word that can be used as a name for people or places.

What happens if you boil caramel too long? ›

Overheating the mixture

Follow the recipe carefully, and never melt your caramel on your stove's highest setting—it will cause the caramel to scorch and taste burnt. Once it gets a burnt or bitter flavor, it can't be saved.

What is the difference between wet and dry caramel taste? ›

Wet and dry caramel are both delicious and versatile confections that can be used in a variety of sweet treats. While wet caramel is a little easier to make and is a good choice for recipes that call for a liquid caramel, dry caramel is a great option for those who want a thicker, more intense caramel flavor.

Will hard caramel melt? ›

Yes, anyone can melt Werther's Original hard candy. Werther's Original is a popular brand of caramel candies, and they can be melted to create a delicious caramel sauce or used in various recipes.

Is toffee just hardened caramel? ›

Toffee – the hard, sweet candy – is an old-fashioned treat, so you might not hear the name very much around modern candy shops. But this classic candy is an enjoyable delight that bursts with flavor at each bite. What is toffee, you ask? Basically, it's hardened caramel (more on that later).

What are the different grades of caramel? ›

Based on the type of reactant that is used, the caramel is divided into one of four different types, or classes. They are: Class I (E150a), Class II (E150b), Class III (E150c), and Class IV (E150d). Each class of caramel color has different specifications on color intensity and hue.

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