Warm and sweet and just a little bitter, caramel candies are just so...caramel. A confectionery staple, caramel candy is enjoyed by young and old alike, and can be found on its own and acting as a sort of candy glue in other sweets. Their rich taste can perk up any person's day, even if they do have an annoying tendency to stick to your teeth.
A Taste of Caramel
Caramel is, at its most basic, a burnt form of sugar; caramel candies, however, are more like boiled caramel and milk. They come in many forms, the most well known being the soft chew. Often square shaped and wrapped in thin plastic, most Americans know them as Kraft Caramel pieces, but of course there are plenty of other brands, many of which are handmade. Soft caramel is also found in commercial candies, like Snickers and Twix candy bars. There are also Cows and Rolos, and caramel creams, littering the candy dishes of grandmothers the world over. Hard caramel candies like Sugar Daddies, or the caramel found on caramel apples, are much harder on your mouth, but have a much richer flavor.
The best way to eat a soft chew caramel candy is to let it melt a little in your mouth before chewing. The candy tends to get less stuck to your back teeth that way and you can get a real feel for the flavors. This is especially great for eating caramel chews with more complex flavor notes, like coffee or salt. Hard caramels take a lot longer to eat, so they're not much of an eatrun snack, and you're way more likely to get sticky.
Your Own Sweet
You can also make your own caramel candies using basic ingredients like cream or milk, sugar, butter and vanilla extract, right on your stove top. You can then freeze and cut up your concoction, use it as a dipping sauce to make caramel apples, or to add to a warm drink like coffee or cocoa.
