How to Make Earl Grey Salted Caramels, Step-by-Step Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_1_0113

Want to save this?
Enter your email and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, get recipes & tips from me every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

My sister suggested a tea infused candy for a post, so Queenie (my cooking/baking guru) and I came up with Earl Grey Salted Caramels. After four attempts and modifications, Queenie created this recipe which is AMAZING. They’re soft, chewy, and the best part is that they don’t feel like they’re going to pull out your fillings. The Earl Grey flavor really comes through without being overpowering. They’re the perfect chew. It’s impossible to just have one.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_2_0113

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons Earl Grey loose leaf tea, hand-crushed
1 black tea bag
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup water
4 tablespoons cold butter, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt + more for sprinkling

EQUIPMENT:
Candy thermometer
Twisting wax paper
12×12 baking pan
Parchment paper to line the baking pan
Ruler

earl_grey_salted_caramel_14_0113

1. Line a 12×12 baking pan with parchment paper.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_3_0113

2. In a saucepan, put in the heavy cream (1 1/2 cups), tea bag and crush in the Earl Grey loose leaf tea (3 tablespoons). On a low flame, bring to a slow simmer and make sure it doesn’t go to a boil. After five minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_4_0113

3. Strain the tea. There should be about a cup of this liquid. Add vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon) into the liquid.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_5_0113

4. Pour in the sugar (2 cups), corn syrup (1/4 cup), honey (1/4 cup), and water (1/3 cup) into a heavy pot. Mix well to get rid of any lumps.

5. This is key: Using a wet brush and cold water, wipe clean the inside of the pot so that there isn’t any sugar left above the water line. This prevents crystallization.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_6_0113

6. Clip on the candy thermometer onto the side of the pot and turn on the heat to medium-low. Cook the sugar until the candy thermometer reaches 230-235°F. At this point, it’ll be a dark golden color.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_7_0113

7. At 230-235°F, turn off the heat and slowly add in the cup of heavy cream tea while stirring. Then add the butter (4 tablespoons) and salt (1/2 teaspoon).

earl_grey_salted_caramel_8_0113

8. Turn the heat back on to medium-low and bring the caramel to 250°F. After it reaches 250°F, keep the heat on medium-low and keep stirring for five more minutes.

Note: The longer the caramel cooks after it reaches 250°F, the harder and stickier the caramel will get since the liquid is being reduced during this process. 

earl_grey_salted_caramel_9_0113

9. Pour the caramel into the prepared baking pan. Let it cool completely, about two hours. (You can speed this process by putting it into the freezer for a few minutes, but make sure the caramel doesn’t freeze.)

earl_grey_salted_caramel_11_0113

10. After about an hour into the cooling process, when the caramel is set, but not completely cooled, sprinkle salt on top. After it has completely cooled, cut into small pieces using an oiled knife and ruler. Use a paper towel with some oil to wipe the knife and ruler to prevent the caramel from sticking to them.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_10_0113

11. Cut the twisting wax paper into four pieces.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_12_0113

12. With the shiny, waxy side of the paper on the outside, wrap each caramel piece. Instead of twisting the ends, each end was flattened down, using the caramel itself as an adhesive.

earl_grey_salted_caramel_13_0113

EARL GREY SALTED CARAMELS

Recipe by Queenie Fok for Oh, How Civilized
Makes about 90 – 100 caramel pieces

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons Earl Grey loose leaf tea, hand-crushed
1 black tea bag
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup water
4 tablespoons cold butter, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt + more for sprinkling

EQUIPMENT:
Candy thermometer
Twisting wax paper
12×12 baking pan
Parchment paper to line the baking pan
Ruler

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a 12×12 baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a saucepan, put in the heavy cream (1 1/2 cups), tea bag and crush in the Earl Grey loose leaf tea (3 tablespoons). On a low flame, bring to a slow simmer and make sure it doesn’t go to a boil. After five minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.

3. Strain the tea. There should be about a cup of this liquid. Add vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon) into the liquid.

4. Pour in the sugar (2 cups), corn syrup (1/4 cup), honey (1/4 cup), and water (1/3 cup) into a heavy pot. Mix well to get rid of any lumps.

5. This is key: Using a wet brush and cold water, wipe clean the inside of the pot so that there isn’t any sugar left above the water line. This prevents crystallization.

6. Clip on the candy thermometer onto the side of the pot and turn on the heat to medium-low. Cook the sugar until the candy thermometer reaches 230-235°F. At this point, it’ll be a dark golden color.

7. At 230-235°F, turn off the heat and slowly add in the cup of heavy cream tea while stirring. Then add the butter (4 tablespoons) and salt (1/2 teaspoon).

8. Turn the heat back on to medium-low and bring the caramel to 250°F. After it reaches 250°F, keep the heat on medium-low and keep stirring for five more minutes.

Note: The longer the caramel cooks after it reaches 250°F, the harder and stickier the caramel will get since the liquid is being reduced during this process. 

9. Pour the caramel into the prepared baking pan. Let it cool completely, about two hours. (You can speed this process by putting it into the freezer for a few minutes, but make sure the caramel doesn’t freeze.)

10. After about an hour into the cooling process, when the caramel is set, but not completely cooled, sprinkle salt on top. After it has completely cooled, cut into small pieces using an oiled knife and ruler. Use a paper towel with some oil to wipe the knife and ruler to prevent the caramel from sticking to them.

11. Cut the twisting wax paper into four pieces.

12. With the shiny, waxy side of the paper on the outside, wrap each caramel piece. Instead of twisting the ends, each end was flattened down, using the caramel itself as an adhesive.

About Jee Choe

Welcome! I'm a certified Tea Sommelier and a self-proclaimed bubble tea and iced tea master. I'm all about making tea EASY and DELICIOUS.

You May Also Like:

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

15 Comments

  1. What type of “heavy pot” do you use? I want to upgrade my pot/pan set and get something that works well with candy making. I have heard copper bottom is good for consistent heating. Any tips/thoughts to share?

    1. Hi Bonnie, copper bottom pots are popular for candy making since it conducts heat evenly and quickly as you mention but any strong and durable non-stick stainless steel pot with straight sides would work well.

  2. Hi Patty thanks so much for catching that! I just updated the recipe and added the vanilla extract to step 3, although it would have worked just fine adding it to step 7. So happy to hear the caramels turned out great but I'm sure your friends are even happier you made them!

  3. Hi Jee! These looked too good to pass up, so I made a batch today. I followed the written step-by-step directions, and forgot to refer back to the list of ingredients, so I missed adding the vanilla. Would it have gone in at step 7? Really, I didn't miss it. The caramels turned out soft, and absolutely delicious! I've packaged them up to give away to friends tomorrow, otherwise I will exceed my annual caramel quota within a day. Thanks for the great recipe!

  4. Hi Megan,

    I asked Queenie, who created this recipe and she says that for #8, the goal is to not get it to reach a certain temperature after 250 degrees, but rather to let the liquid evaporate a bit more (5 minutes) after it has reached 250. So that's the reason she doesn't have a specific temperature goal listed. The longer you keep the heat on after 250 degrees, the harder and stickier the caramel will get (due to there being less liquid).

    Queenie keeps the heat on and stirs for 5 more minutes. That's how she's been making her caramels and she's made a few batches now using the same method.

    Thanks for your comment and advice. I think it'll be useful for people looking for a softer version of these caramels.