Vegan Caramels

By Dolphl1970

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegan coffee creamer, I used “Silk” brand— I think coconut cream would work well also
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
• 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional

Preparation

Step 1

First, gather your ingredients and tools.

1.You will need a sort-of heavy saucepan (see mine in pics below), and make sure that the sides are not too short (at least 6 inches) because the caramel mixture will bubble up high.
2.You will need a wooden spoon.
3.You will also need a greased loaf pan… I use this size to achieve a thicker caramel.
4.Oh, and don’t forget that candy thermometer… clip it on the side of your saucepan.
5.If you don’t have a candy thermometer, have a short glass of cold water in the fridge for a “firm ball” test.
Now, add all ingredients, except for Earth Balance, vanilla extract and cardamom into the saucepan.

Over medium heat, stirring constantly, dissolve sugar completely. Next, add your Earth Balance and stir until boiling.
Once boiling, stop stirring!
Let it continue to boil, without stirring (even the littlest bit), until it reaches 250 degrees on your candy thermometer. It will look like the picture below for a long time.
A good indicator to test for progress, if you are lacking a candy thermometer, is to take your wooden spoon, and just dip the very tip of it into the top of the bubbly mixture. The syrup should stick to the spoon like this wheIf you think it’s time… take a teaspoon and grab a spoonful of the syrup and quickly drop it into a very cold glass of water… when it is ready, this is what you will get and it is about done:
Basically a caramel, right? This is referred to as “firm-ball” stage. You will know it is ready when the ball is firm enough not to flatten when you remove it from the glass with your fingers, but it will flatten if you give it a little squeeze.

Okay, when the mixture is at the right temp, immediately stir in vanilla and cardamom and quickly pour into your prepared loaf pan.
Let cool at room temp for a few minutes and then slip into your fridge for about an hour. Once firm, cut them into squares. I froze mine for a few minutes, before cutting, to make them slightly less sticky
Wrap them in waxed paper and store in fridge. They will not melt at room temp… in case you want to give some away during the holidays. But they get pretty soft if kept in warmer temperatures. I would definitely recommend not storing them in your pocket.