Goat Butter & Honey Caramels (recipe featured on Martha Stewart Show)

Beth has mentioned the Goat Butter and Honey Caramels recipe from her upcoming book several times since I started interning for her. When I finally saw a picture of them last week I couldn’t resist attempting them myself. They were simple to make and words cannot express how delicious these candies were. Every single caramel was gone within minutes of having cut them into individual pieces (and some before that).

I had never heard of goat butter or even considered its existence before this recipe. It turns out I was missing out. Not only is goat’s milk butter easier for those who are lactose sensitive to digest, it’s also plain delicious. Some might say I have an unhealthy relationship with butter. As a child my sturdy Austrian nanny let me snack on sticks of salted butter, no bread necessary. Thankfully, I no longer eat sticks of it but I still have a particular fondness for this ingredient and I’ve become pretty picky when it comes to the butter that I consume. Keeping that in mind I think it’s indicative that I scraped every last piece of the extra goat butter off its wrapper and ate it plain on a toasted English muffin (and then went back to the store to buy more). The goat butter I used was a brand called Meyenberg and is available at Whole Foods.

INGREDIENTS

1-cup Goat’s milk butter

2-cups Pure wildflower honey

2-cups Heavy cream

1-cup Turbinado or raw sugar

1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. Sea salt, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1.     Line bottom and sides of a 9" square pan with parchment paper; set aside.   

2.     Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.

3.     Add honey, cream, and sugar; stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil.

4.     Continue boiling, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 250˚F on a candy thermometer, 45 to 60 minutes.

5.     Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

6.     Pour into prepared pan. Let cool for 1 hour; sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool completely, overnight.

7.     Turn caramels out onto a cutting board; remove parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut caramels into 1" squares; wrap each in wax paper. Caramels will keep in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 1 month. Caramels will soften at room temperature or stay firm if kept chilled.

Keep in mind that using a heavy-bottomed saucepan, which holds heat well and distributes it evenly, as well as constantly stirring, will prevent your caramels from burning. It is also helpful to use a medium-large pot, as the mixture will bubble up to about four times its original size when it is cooking. If, against all odds, the caramel burns, I recommend filling the pot with water and boiling it out to get it clean.

When I made the caramels it only took them about 20 minutes to reach 250˚F so make sure you monitor the mixture! I didn’t have a 9”x9” baking pan so I laid out a silicone baking mat (parchment would work for this too) on a baking sheet and ended up with slightly thinner pieces of candy. My caramels were pretty sticky and according to Beth these caramels can turn out slightly different each time depending on the viscosity of the honey used. But most importantly, they’re absolutely delicious every time.

Check out Beth’s appearance on The Martha Stewart Show and make sure to watch her making the caramels by clicking the link under the picture!