Learn how to make your very own delicious, chewy cannabis caramels at home with either cannabutter, cannabis sugar, or both for a sweet treat that makes it easy to enjoy your cannabis at home or on the go.
Table of Contents
Features
- A simple recipe with step-by-step instructions
- Tips and tricks for making this recipe perfectly
- Want to make it easy? Order my Bliss Cannabutter and have it delivered straight to your door – now shipping across the United States!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
My Well With Cannabis Community members requested this recipe, and I am proud to deliver it!
These delicious melt-in-your-mouth cannabis caramels rank right up there with my brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
Perfect for a simple sweet treat that can be enjoyed at home or on the go, you can easily individually wrap these caramels for perfect portioning and easy portability.
Below I will go over all the important things you must do before preparing this recipe, including how to use my printable dosage chart if you use my Bliss Cannabutter.
Important: Before Getting Started
Choosing the right kitchen items will help make this recipe process go much more smoothly.
The most important thing is to use a large enough saucepan.
As the caramel boils, it will boil up the sides of the pan. If you use a pan that is too small, you will end up with a sticky mess all over your stove.
You can avoid this mess and frustration by starting with a large enough saucepan in the first place.
For this recipe, I recommend a 6-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan.
It is also essential to use a thermometer to track the temperature of this recipe.
I recommend a candy thermometer that can attach to the side of your saucepan for a hands-free way to monitor the temperature easily.
Be sure to calibrate the thermometer before getting started to ensure accurate readings throughout the process.
Helpful Equipment:
Get Perfect Dosing
Dosing this recipe couldn’t be easier if you use my Bliss Cannabutter.
You can use the printable chart below to determine the exact amount of butter to use to get your desired THC milligrams per batch or candy.
If you are not using Bliss Cannabutter, my edible dosage calculator is another great way to determine your caramel’s final potency.
If you are unsure where to start, check out my safe dosing guide before getting started.
Ingredient Notes
- 1 cup cannabutter: Bliss cannabutter ensures perfect dosing
- 4 cups sugar: you can use granulated white sugar or cannabis sugar
- 2 cups light corn syrup: this ingredient is needed for this recipe; I do not have a good substitute recommendation at this time
- ½ teaspoon salt: regular table salt goes into the recipe, and you can also add sea salt as a topping if desired
- 24 ounces evaporated milk: this ingredient is needed for this recipe; I do not have a good substitute recommendation at this time
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract: for flavor
Note: The recipe card below contains a complete list of ingredients with amounts and printable instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Prepare a 9×9-sized baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Step 2 – Add the cannabutter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt to a 6-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and stir well. Heat until the mixture begins to boil, about 7-8 minutes.
- Step 3 – Slowly and gradually add the evaporated milk, ensuring the mixture stays at a constant boil. This can take upwards of 10-15 minutes per can of milk.
- Step 4 – Add a candy thermometer to the pan and secure it to the side. Constantly stir until the mixture reaches 245° F. This is very important; if you do not reach this temperature, the candies will not set.
- Step 5 – Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Step 6 – Pour the caramel into your prepped pan and top with sea salt if using.
- Step 7 – Refrigerate the caramels for a few hours; overnight is ideal.
- Step 8 – Once the caramels are cool and set, cut the caramel into bite-sized pieces and wrap it individually in wax paper if desired.
Note: complete step-by-step printable instructions are located in the recipe card below.
Storage Instructions
You can store these caramels at room temperature for a few days, but storing them in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks is best.
You can also store these in the freezer for several months. Learn more about how to store cannabis edibles here.
Alternate Infusion Options
As with all things edibles, there is more than one way to infuse something.
Below we will explore all the different ways you could infuse this recipe.
Cannabutter
Cannabutter is one of the most common cannabis-infused staple recipes.
If you don’t purchase Bliss cannabutter from me, you’re going to want to make sure you prepare your own before diving into this recipe.
You can make many cannabutter at home, including in a crockpot or Instant Pot, CBD cannabutter, or kief cannabutter.
Cannabis Sugar
Cannabis sugar is a delicious, versatile recipe made using white sugar and a cannabis tincture.
It can be made with either a traditional Green Dragon or a Golden Dragon QWET tincture.
You will need to have your cannabis sugar prepared ahead of time for this recipe. If you’ve never made it before, follow my complete guide to making cannabis sugar here.
Cannabis Concentrates
If you are an experienced cannabis consumer with a high tolerance, you may want to make your caramels with concentrates or FECO for a more potent end product.
When using concentrates to make your caramels, add them in step 5 when you add the vanilla extract. Be sure to stir well to ensure even distribution throughout the candies.
Notes and Expert Tips
Making caramel is not exactly a beginner-friendly recipe.
Not to discourage you, but I want to let you know that it takes time and patience to get this recipe to turn out right.
Below I will share some of my most helpful tips and tricks to help ensure your process goes smoothly and successfully.
Run a Non-Infused Test Batch First
Depending on your skill level in the kitchen, I highly recommend running a *non* cannabis-infused batch of caramel first so you can get used to the process.
This ensures you can get comfortable with the process and work out any potential kinks before making an infused batch.
If anything goes wrong the first time, you will be safe knowing you didn’t ‘ruin’ anything.
Maintain Proper Temperature Control
When making this recipe, taking your time and patience is extremely important.
It takes a lot of time to bring the mixture to temperature, upwards of 30-45 minutes.
While it may be tempting to blast the heat and get the temperature up fast, it is not the best approach.
A low and slow heating approach will ensure you have the best possible final product. Too fast heating or a lack of patience may result in a burned or scorched batch of caramel.
FAQ’s
Making cannabis caramel can be new to even the most seasoned cannabis consumer. Here are the most frequently asked questions from members of my Well With Cannabis Community.
Many people get nervous about bringing the infused cannabutter or cannabis sugar to a high temperature like the 245°F required in this recipe. Rest assured, this temperature is not too hot and will not destroy all of the cannabinoids in this recipe.
No, unfortunately, at this time, I do not have a substitute for corn syrup.
Chewy Homemade Cannabis Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bliss cannabutter
- 4 cups white, granulated sugar or cannabis sugar
- 2 cups light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt optional
- 24 ounces evaporated milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt optional for topping
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×9-sized baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the cannabutter, sugar, corn syrup, and kosher salt to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and stir well. Heat until the mixture begins to boil, about 7-8 minutes.
- Slowly and gradually add the evaporated milk, ensuring the mixture stays at a constant boil. This can take upwards of 10-15 minutes per can of milk.
- Add a candy thermometer to the pan and secure it to the side. Constantly stir until the mixture reaches 245° F.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel into your prepped pan and top with sea salt if using.
- Refrigerate the caramels for a few hours, overnight is ideal.
- Once the caramels are cool and set, cut the caramel into bite-sized pieces and wrap it individually in wax paper if desired.
Notes
Temperature Note: It is crucial to reach the temperature of 245°F; if you do not reach this temperature, the candies will not set.
Metric Conversion Note: The metric conversion tool is provided as a convenience and should not be relied upon as an exact measurement in recipes. The results of conversions produced by the online metric converter are based on mathematical models and cannot guarantee that the recipe will turn out perfectly with metric measurements. We strongly recommend testing the recipes using traditional measurements to ensure accuracy. Nutrition
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Take your edibles to the next level…
My Edibles Made Easy Online Cooking Course will teach you how to easily make cannabis edibles and topical recipes at home. This step-by-step video course will teach you how to infuse, extract, and create edibles with many different product types – all from the comfort of your own home.
Hi Brian. This is a great question! Ghee is clarified butter, meaning the milk solids have been removed. In a caramel recipe, these milk solids in the butter typically contribute to the rich flavor and texture. However, some have found success using ghee. The flavor might be slightly different, but it should still work. We recommend making a small batch first to see if you are happy with the final results. Give it a go and let us know how it turns out!
Hi Cindy. If your caramels turned out to be rock hard, it’s likely that the sugar mixture was heated to a temperature that was too high. Caramel reaches the “hard crack” stage at temperatures between 300°F and 310°F, which results in a brittle, glass-like texture when cooled. For soft, chewy caramels, you’d want to aim for a lower temperature, typically around 245°F to 250°F, which is known as the “firm ball” stage.
You can try to soften your caramels, but placing the hard caramel back into a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water and gently heat it until the desired consistency is reached.
For future attempts, using a reliable candy thermometer helps to ensure accurate temperature readings and always stir gently to avoid creating sugar crystals, which can cause the entire mixture to crystallize.
I hope this helps!
Can I pour this mixture into a mold? Maybe lollipops?
Hi Kellie. Absolutely! This chewy caramel mixture can definitely be poured into a mold, and lollipops are a fantastic idea! Pouring the mixture into lollipop molds will give you delightful caramel lollipops that are both delicious and fun to eat. Just make sure to let them cool and set completely before removing them from the molds. Enjoy your homemade caramel treats!
Hey, is it possible to remelt caramels down and them still be fine?
Hi Cheyenne. Absolutely, you can remelt caramels! Just make sure to do it over low heat and stir constantly to prevent burning. They should still taste just as delicious. If you need any more tips or tricks, feel free to ask. Happy cooking!
Would I be able to substitute for infused refined coconut oil? Or at least substitute some for the butter in this recipe?
Hi Margaret. We haven’t tried this, but yes, you should be able to substitute infused refined coconut oil for butter in this recipe. It will add a unique flavor profile and still result in a delicious caramel. Give it a try and let us know how it goes!
Made the caramels last night, your recipe and simple instructions were perfect. I have never had a better caramel, never mind an infused treat. Thank you for sharing your craft, it is a gift to us all. Be well.
Hi John. Thank you for your incredibly kind words! We love that you were able to perfectly replicate this infused treat. We hope you keep discovering delicious and nutritious recipes from us!