People often ask what makes my [handmade caramels] different from the caramels they find at the grocery store. And if I am being perfectly honest, all they have to do is try them. Because once they get their first taste of one of my caramels, it is game over - they are forever fans.
But the short answer is time.
The longer answer is butter, cream, patience, small batches, and knowing when to trust what’s happening in the pot.
I still make my caramels slowly, with real butter, fresh cream, sugar, and pure vanilla. Those ingredients may sound simple, but caramel is one of those things that demand your respect and attention.
The color changes. The smell changes. The bubbles change. The way the caramel moves against the spatula changes.
A thermometer helps, of course, but there’s also a point where experience matters. After making batch after batch, you learn what soft, buttery caramel should look like before it ever gets poured into the pan.
And I still love that part.
Small-batch caramel takes time
Making small-batch caramels gives me the ability to watch each batch closely from start to finish.
That matters because texture is everything.
I want my caramels to be soft and buttery — never sticky in that pull-your-fillings-out kind of way (like every grocery store caramel out there). They should yield a little when you bite them, then melt slowly.
That soft texture doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from the way the caramel is cooked, poured, cooled, cut, and wrapped.
After each batch is finished, every piece is cut and wrapped by hand.
It takes longer, but that’s the whole point.
Real ingredients make a real difference
Caramel doesn’t need to be complicated to be special.
Real butter gives it richness. Cream gives it softness. Sugar gives it depth as it cooks and darkens. A little salt brings everything into balance.
That’s especially true with Sea Salt Caramels, which are usually where I tell people to start if they’re new to Sugar + Spoon. They’re soft, buttery, and finished with just enough delicate French sea salt to make you want another piece.
If you love a little texture, Vanilla + Toasted Almond Caramels are another favorite. The toasted almonds add warmth and crunch, but the heart of it is still that same smooth, buttery caramel I grew up making.
Made the way I grew up making them
These caramels began as a family recipe in the 1930’s, made for holidays and gifts long before Sugar + Spoon became a business.
That still shapes the way I make them today.
No shortcuts. No rushing. No trying to make them something they’re not.
Just soft, buttery, artisan caramels made with care, the same way my family has been making them for almost 100 years.
That’s the difference you can taste.
