Coconut Caramels Recipe (2024)

By Yewande Komolafe

Coconut Caramels Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour, plus cooling
Rating
4(423)
Notes
Read community notes

Making your own candy may seem daunting, but time and attention are all you need. This recipe calls for two sugars: granulated, which provides the base for your caramel, and an inverted sugar, corn syrup, which stabilizes and keeps the caramel from crystalizing. The line between soft-chewy and hard candy is a delicate one, so a candy thermometer is recommended for precision. Ginger and cardamom will add a nice zing, but lean into other warm spices, such as cinnamon, black pepper or chili powder, if that’s what you have on hand. A final coat of toasted, finely shredded coconut lends an almost buttery crunch, and prevents the pieces from sticking. Wrap up individually if you have the time: These are made for sharing and can be frozen for up to a month.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 72 pieces

  • 1cup/85 grams shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
  • Coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan
  • 1(13-ounce/390-gram) can coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
  • 2cups/400 grams granulated sugar
  • ¼cup/60 milliliters corn syrup
  • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼teaspoon ground cardamom

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

307 calories; 16 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 106 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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Coconut Caramels Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

  2. Brush an 8-inch baking dish generously with coconut oil or coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of toasted coconut in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.

  3. Step

    3

    In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the coconut cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring frequently especially toward the end, until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees and caramel is a light golden brown and thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger and cardamom.

  4. Step

    4

    Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Once the caramel stops bubbling and the surface forms a thin skin, about 3 minutes, sprinkle another 4 tablespoons toasted coconut across the surface. Allow to cool at room temperature and set completely, about 2 hours.

  5. Step

    5

    Run a spatula around the sides of the baking dish, loosen and lift the caramel, and move onto a board or clean surface.

  6. Step

    6

    Slice the caramel into 8 (1-inch-wide) strips, then across into ½-inch pieces, so you have about 72 caramels. Roll the sides of each piece in more toasted coconut. Wrap as individual sweets using 4- to 5-inch squares of parchment, wax paper, or cellophane, or use store-bought candy wrappers, twisting the ends to seal. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. Caramels will keep stored at room temp for up to 7 days or frozen after wrapping for up to 1 month.

Ratings

4

out of 5

423

user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Marissa

Pastry chef here! Just wanted to say, coconut milk and coconut cream are not really interchangeable, especially if the coconut cream you're using has added sugar. If your caramels are really hard, the extra sugar could be the reason. If they're grainy, some unmelted sugar crystals might've made their way in - they encourage the rest of the sugar to also crystalize.I made these using about half the amount of coconut milk, and glucose syrup instead of corn syrup. Hope this helps!

Julian

I tried this with golden syrup instead of corn syrup and it came out wonderfully!

Cameron A

Novice baker here. Some tips after a failed attempt (crystalized): - A candy thermometer is your friend- Cook the caramel to 240 F. Don't try to focus on color unless you have experience with caramel. Then remove thermometer and cover for 1 minute on the heat to melt any undissolved sugar crystals on the pot- Skip the coconut in the pan and on the surface while its cooling. You can just roll the caramels in the coconut later - Add some flakey sea salt to each caramel for flavor a explosion

Kate

I made this, followed exactly. Not a degree over 250 on a calibrated thermometer. Couldn't get it out of the pan. It was a solid, hard candy brick. Maybe 250 is too high and it should actually be about 240 at soft ball stage... But it's gonna take a month of soaking to get this out of the pan.

Pam,LI

I think the reason some people had a problem with these being too hard is because caramels should be cooked to 242-248 degrees. 250 degrees will yield a harder candy. I cooked them to 243 and they were chewy. Otherwise prepared exactly as instructed. I did line the pan with parchment and they came out easily.Although I can appreciate that these are a traditional recipe, I did find them to be very sweet and lacking enough coconut flavor. I may make a few changes next time.

GC

Hi! The video of her making the Coconut Caramels is here:https://youtu.be/xH0-Zx8JvQoEnjoy!

Angel

for this recipe honey or agave nectar would be good substitutes. It would change the flavor a bit but both would go nicely with coconut. Hope this helps.

Anne

I think something about adding the ginger and cardamom at the end caused the sugar to crystallize. Before that the texture was perfect, gooey caramel - after, it turned grainy. I love the flavor of cardamom and ginger but I’m going to try it again without, or perhaps I’ll just add vanilla instead, as in a traditional butter caramel recipe.

Grace

I’ve attempted this recipe three times, and not once has it turned out to be the right consistency/texture. I first thought I hadn’t been diligent enough about the temperature, but the following two attempts (where I removed the mixture from heat immediately upon reaching 250°) were no better. I also had great difficulty removing the caramels from the pan.

Ellen N.

You can line the pan with parchment paper (baking paper if you’re British) or aluminum foil.

Betsy

Made these as presented in recipe. Went to 240 on thermometer. I wanted them chewy. They were amazing! Chewy and rich. Came out of the pan fine. Cut and wrapped in parchment. Next day - all had crystallized- crunchy. Really unfortunate. Was looking forward to sharing in my bag of holiday treats.

Emily

If you’re like me and you accidentally over-cooked your caramel, don’t worry! I was able to save the hardened caramel. After the hard caramel cooled, I broke it back into smaller pieces, put the pieces in a saucepan with 3 or so tablespoons of water. I cooked and stirred until the caramel and water were incorporated. When the caramel reached “soft ball” stage, I removed it from the heat and immediately poured it into my prepared pan. It cooled and became soft, perfect caramel texture!

hungryfootballer

Really wish I had read the comments on this one! These tasted fantastic, but heating to 240° instead of 250° is definitely the move. I had to soak my caramel out of the Pyrex instead of cut and eat it :/

Mikey

I was a bit worried but they turned out great. As I have in other caramel recipes, I boiled the sugar and corn syrup down with a little water first first,then added coconut milk and butter. Didn’t use a thermometer, just did the cold water test until it reached soft ball stage. I wouldn’t recommend this to inexperienced caramel-makers, but the flavors are wonderful.

David

This recipe was a huge disappointment and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. I carefully (and liberally) greased my 8 inch by 8 inch baking dish with coconut oil and sprinkled toasted coconut on the bottom, as directed. I only took the caramel mixture up to 245 degrees, noting the comments from others. The hardened caramels were totally impossible to extract from the baking dish -- a huge mess. In addition, the caramels were WAY too hard. It will take days of soaking to clean my dish.

GC

Hi! The video of her making the Coconut Caramels is here:https://youtu.be/xH0-Zx8JvQoEnjoy!

Penelope

The caramel is slightly crystallized, what did I do wrong?

PA

The flavor was amazing, but the texture was not so great. It ended up being quite, uh, chalky? Is that a way to describe caramel? I think it crystallized. After reading the comments I sprinkled coarse salt on top of the candies,(delicious), and will try again without the spices.

WahooU

Please remember corn syrup (here in the South it’s just Karo) is not the same thing as “high fructose corn syrup” which is definitely a bad thing. No need to hate it.

Kate

I just made this with coconut sugar instead of refined sugar and brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup !! And it worked! It’s dark and earthy and nicely sweet. Definitely required a thermometer because the color was so dark - can’t really see any color change as the caramel cooks - but I I felt it thickening and took it off the stove when I saw a measurement of 238°. My husband and four-year-old daughter approved. They helped me wrap them. Very pleased with this recipe. Video helped tons.

Anne

I think something about adding the ginger and cardamom at the end caused the sugar to crystallize. Before that the texture was perfect, gooey caramel - after, it turned grainy. I love the flavor of cardamom and ginger but I’m going to try it again without, or perhaps I’ll just add vanilla instead, as in a traditional butter caramel recipe.

Evie

This also happened to me! The entire batch was crystalized after adding spices. I havent been able to find any resources on why this happened or how to correct it.

Pam,LI

I think the reason some people had a problem with these being too hard is because caramels should be cooked to 242-248 degrees. 250 degrees will yield a harder candy. I cooked them to 243 and they were chewy. Otherwise prepared exactly as instructed. I did line the pan with parchment and they came out easily.Although I can appreciate that these are a traditional recipe, I did find them to be very sweet and lacking enough coconut flavor. I may make a few changes next time.

Jeanette

My journey to making these caramels was long and a bit silly. Followed the recipe except for adding butter (because I like it?), not using the full amount of corn syrup (I ran out), using half brown sugar, and stirring the coconut in when the caramel finished. Alas, my caramel crystallized! So I chopped it up, put it back in the pan with a little cream, melted it down and then back up to 250, poured into the dish and huzzah! Throw some flaky salt on top and you're in business.

Liz

Many of you mentioned a video, but my recipe doesn’t seem to have one. Where did you find it?

woodstockjcg

Followed the recipe exactly. Took it off right at 250 degrees. Left it to sit overnight. It’s a gooey mess!

Cameron A

Novice baker here. Some tips after a failed attempt (crystalized): - A candy thermometer is your friend- Cook the caramel to 240 F. Don't try to focus on color unless you have experience with caramel. Then remove thermometer and cover for 1 minute on the heat to melt any undissolved sugar crystals on the pot- Skip the coconut in the pan and on the surface while its cooling. You can just roll the caramels in the coconut later - Add some flakey sea salt to each caramel for flavor a explosion

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Coconut Caramels Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why didn't my homemade caramels harden? ›

If caramels are too soft, that means the temperature didn't get high enough. Again place the caramel back into a sauce pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and heat to 244°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test with a cold water test.

What determines the consistency of caramels? ›

Temperature matters when making caramel. How hot the liquid mixture gets will determine its consistency once it cools.

What makes caramel soft vs hard? ›

Heat until the syrup reaches 240 to 245 degrees Fahrenheit. The lower the temperature, the softer the resulting caramels will be.

How do you keep 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 makes homemade caramel hard? ›

Temperature is key when making candy. The difference between a soft caramel and one that's hard and overcooked is all in the temperature. Candy thermometers—like this instant-read thermometer—let you know exactly what stage the caramel is in (thread, soft-ball, firm-ball, hard-ball, soft crack or hard crack).

What are 3 key ingredients that are added to caramels to prevent it from crystallizing? ›

Crystallization may be prevented by adding an interferent, such as acid (lemon, vinegar, tartaric, etc.) or glucose or corn syrup, during the boiling procedure.

How do you make caramel more firm? ›

How to Thicken Caramel Sauce
  1. Add heavy cream. Some caramel sauce recipes call for milk, but if you find this still produces a thin sauce, you can add room-temperature heavy cream and return the caramel sauce to the stove for another few minutes. ...
  2. Cook the sauce longer. ...
  3. Make more caramel. ...
  4. Use a slurry.
Jan 21, 2022

What does adding butter to caramel do? ›

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. Finally, after the butter has melted, we add heavy whipping cream. This will allow the mixture to be loose enough to be used as a sauce.

What to do if caramel doesn t set? ›

you simply haven't cooked it enough-- possibly your microwave is less powerful (the original recipe doesn't specify a wattage for cooking the caramel) or the butter you used has a higher water content. You could try cooking the mixture for a little longer, and seeing if it sets up firmer.

What happens if caramel isn't thickening? ›

Add more sugar to the sauce.

Most caramel sauces are made by caramelizing sugar and adding milk and a little salt. If you increase the amount of sugar in the recipe you'll end up with a thicker caramel. Try increasing the sugar by about 1/3.

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.

Why do you put vinegar in 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.

How do I stop my caramel from crystalizing? ›

To make a perfect easy caramel every-time, simply add one or two drops of vinegar and just enough water to wet the sugar. The idea is to lower the PH. you can also use a small pinch of citric acid or cream of tartar if you have.

How do you fix caramel that didn't set? ›

you simply haven't cooked it enough-- possibly your microwave is less powerful (the original recipe doesn't specify a wattage for cooking the caramel) or the butter you used has a higher water content. You could try cooking the mixture for a little longer, and seeing if it sets up firmer.

Why is my homemade caramel so runny? ›

Too short of a cooling time: Caramel sauce thickens significantly as it cools, so let the caramel cool for the appropriate time to achieve the right thickness. If the sauce is still too thin after cooling completely, place it back on the stovetop and reheat it on low heat for a few additional minutes.

How long does it take for caramel to harden? ›

Give your caramel at least two hours to set, or overnight if possible. You can also pop caramel into the fridge to help it set up faster. The caramel will sweat a little when brought out of the fridge, but will still taste fine. If you don't eat it right away, here's how to store caramel.

Why are my homemade caramels sticky? ›

Certain ingredients like corn syrup can make it sticky. Not cooking the candy all the way to hard crack stage can make it more sticky. High humidity in the air can make it sticky.

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