Black Licorice Caramels
I don’t eat a lot of candy, but when I do I tend to go for the kinds that have been around for decades—even centuries. Like many things, when it comes to food I find it tough to beat the classics. Peanut brittle, sponge toffee and caramels are just a few of the delights I am willing to risk having to take an extra trip to the dentist for. Among my favorite old fashioned candy is black licorice. I never understood why so many people find this unappealing. I think because of the winning popularity of red licorice, black just gets overshadowed and shunned as “eewww.”
When I tried out this recipe for black licorice caramels, I was immediately won. Even if you’re not a fan of this old time flavor, I think you are going to like these. They say texture and flavor play an almost equal role on our palates, and the smooth chewiness of these candies are what I believe make these as brilliant as they are.
Their flavor is more than just licorice; shining bright in every chew is the presence of creamy butter and sweetened condensed milk. They melt in your mouth and when you eat one, you will want another. Black licorice for me is somewhat an addiction which is why I try not to have it in the house too often.
When making any caramel, make sure to stir it constantly in the beginning when bringing the mixture to a boil. This is to dissolve the sugar entirely so you end up with a smooth, creamy candy. Once it comes to a boil, stop stirring and lower the heat. This was also necessary for my plain caramels recipe which can be found here. When I made these for the video, I made the mistake of turning the heat too high in the beginning and before I knew it, black flecks were swimming in my caramel!
I nearly threw in the towel and decided to start over, but I decided not to because I know that with black licorice caramels in particular, you can get away with this. Not only will the candy be colored black to hide the flecks, the flavor of the licorice will overpower any trace of burnt. Of course, if you do a real number on the mixture and it resembles chunks of tar, pitch it and start over. You will know if you have to do this. I intentionally left this in the video so you would know that if you happen to get a few flecks, it is harmless and there is no need to throw away your expensive efforts and start over.
If you cook the caramel to hard ball stage (250F-266F), you will end up with a hard candy you can suck on rather than chew. These can be wrapped as is or set into sticks to make lollipops. However you prepare these, you will please anyone who loves black licorice and find yourself making them again in no time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons anise oil
- 1 teaspoon black food coloring (may vary depending on brand)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk.
- Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. When it reaches a boil, lower heat to a simmer and stop stirring.
- Clip on a candy thermometer and cook mixture until it reaches 245F, or firm ball stage, about 25-30 minutes. If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop some of the mixture into ice water. It should form a firm ball at the bottom. Check using this method about 20 minutes into cooking.
- Remove from heat and add salt, anise oil and black food coloring.
- Pour caramel into a well oiled 8 or 9 inch square pan and allow to cool for a few hours.
- Cut caramel into squares and wrap each in waxed paper. Store in a cool dry place.
Yum
Thank you very much for the black liquorice caramel recipe. Very good explanation, very practical tips! I would absolutely love to make them! I remember trying to find black food colouring some time ago in Winnipeg, where I live. I could not find it. I so appreciate the fact you name a brand. I have now written to Wilton’s. For some reason, they do not ship to Canada. I hope they can provide me with a way to obtain their food colouring.
Thank you so much!!
Gloria
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Can I use heavy cream instead of sweetened condensed milk like ur caramel recipe?
Good idea! I would just make the regular caramels recipe as opposed to modifying anything with the black licorice caramels. Proceed as normal but swap out the vanilla for anise and add black food colouring. Hope this helps!
Great video tutorial, thanks. I will be making these for an old friend who, like me, loves licorice toffee caramels.
Thank you, enjoy!
You have an excellent recipe and explanation. I’m wondering if you can help me. My caramels came up to the right temperature and sat on the kitchen counter for 2 hours when I was done. Didn’t firm up very much so I put them in the fridge. 1.5 hours in the fridge and I would say it’s half firmed up. What did I do wrong? How long does it take to firm up?
Hi, Thank you for being so patient with my response. These take a few hours to cool and firm up. They should be fine at room temperature, no need to refrigerate unless you’re in a hurry. Did yours turn out? I would love to know how this worked out for you.