Plain Vanilla Caramels
| Sugar (granulated), | 3 cups |
| Condensed milk, | 1 cup |
| Water, | 1 cup |
| Butter, | Size of an egg |
| Cream of tartar, | ½ teaspoon |
| Flavoring (vanilla), | 1 teaspoon |
Mother told Betsey she had heard that condensed milk was considered by some expert candy makers to give better results in caramels than cream.
To the condensed milk Betsey added the water and mixed thoroughly, then added the sugar. She let these boil, then added the butter and cream of tartar and continued the boiling until a little of the syrup, dropped in cold water, cracked between her thumb and finger.
It was then ready to take from the fire, add vanilla, pour in buttered pan, mark in squares when cool, cut with sharp knife when cold and wrap in waxed paper.
Rich Walnut Caramels
| Sugar (granulated), | 2 cups |
| Corn syrup, | 1¾ cups |
| Cream, | 2 cups |
| Butter, | 1 cup |
| Flavoring (vanilla), | 1 teaspoon |
| Walnut meats cut in pieces, | 1 cup |
When the sugar, syrup, one cup of cream and butter reached the boiling point Betsey added the other cup of cream a little at a time so that the candy did not once stop boiling.
After trying it in cold water, and it formed a firm ball between her thumb and finger, she added the vanilla and nuts, turned it into a buttered pan, marked into squares when cool, cut with a sharp knife when cold and wrapped in waxed paper.
Betsey found that these took a long, long while to make, nearly an hour, but my! weren't they worth it when she popped one into her mouth!