5 Easy Ways to Melt Kraft Caramels
Learn how to melt caramels with this easy guide, so you’ll be ready to dip those apples in this Fall. There are many tips and techniques for melting Kraft caramels, but all of them involve bringing the temperature of the caramel up slowly until it reaches a soft consistency.
Once you’ve mastered melting caramels, they can be used in all sorts of recipes – from desserts (caramel apples!) to snack bars! Scroll on down to learn how to melt caramel squares today!
How To Melt Caramel
Supplies
- A bag of kraft caramels (depending on how much you need, you can choose the bag with the appropriate net weight). You can buy them in any grocery store or supermarket.
- A double boiler (or a microwave or a saucepan)
- A measuring cup
- Milk or butter
- Peanuts or ground almonds (this is optional. You can use it after the caramels are melted to increase the flavor)
- A silicone spatula
#1. Melting by Using A Double Boiler
Step 1: Clean the boiler
Step 2: Unwrap the caramel-bag. If the pieces are stuck with one another, spend some time pulling them apart.
Step 3: Add approximately half or a cup of water into the bottom pot
Step 4: Put the top boiler on the bottom pot. Remember to make sure it doesn’t touch the water
Step 5: Start off to boiling the water on medium-high heat. Then, simmer it at lower heat when the bubbles appear
Step 6: When the caramels begin to melt, stir it well and regularly add milk or water to the liquid
Step 7: Continue cooking for about 10–15 minutes until it reaches the consistency that you desire. Then, take the top off the below boiler. Keep stirring until it cools down.
If you don’t have a double boiler, you can replace it with a saucepan and put it on the bottom pot. Even when you turn off the stove and remove the bottom pot, stir the caramels, or otherwise it’ll scorch the pot.
#2. Melting by Using A Saucepan
Step 1: Spray some cooking oil or salted butter on the bottom of the pan. In that way, you will be able to protect the pan from being damaged by the melted caramels.
However, don’t put too much oil or butter. There is a chance that the flavor of the caramels will be disrupted.
Step 2: Prepare the number of caramels you need to melt. One cup of hard candies is usually equal to half of a cup of melted caramel.
Use the measuring cup to take the amount you desire, you should cook about two cups of hard caramel each time to make it easier and smoother.
Step 3: Preheat the saucepan before adding the caramel. Turn on the stove at low heat.
Step 4: Add the hard candies into the pan. Remember not to add too many of them to prevent scorching. Just use some of the first and wait until they are all melted. Then, add several others. Raise the heat to a medium-high level when the caramels start to melt, stir it slowly.
Step 5: Add heavy cream, milk, or water while stirring
Step 6: Keep stirring the caramels until it reaches the consistency that you desire (regularly, about 15 minutes)
Step 7: Take the pan off the stove after simmering it for a while. That’s how to melt kraft caramels using a saucepan.
#3. Melting by Using A Microwave
Learn how to melt kraft caramels in the microwave with our easy tutorial.
Step 1: Spray some cooking oil on the bottom of the bowl. Make sure you use a suitable bowl for microwaves. Furthermore, the melted caramels can easily reach the rim of the bowl if you put too many pieces in it.
So, do choose a bowl with enough space to contain all of it.
Step 2: Unwrap the caramel bag. If the pieces are stuck with one another, spend some time unraveling them. Put your caramel chewers in a microwave bowl. Make sure they don’t exceed the rim. Place the bowl in the microwave. Then, turn it on at high heat for about 30 seconds.
Step 3: Take the bowl out.
Step 4: Use a silicone spatula to crash the warmed caramel candies.
Step 5: Put the bowl in the microwave to heat it again. Set the temperature at high heat for 15 seconds or the medium-high heat for 30 seconds.
Step 6: Remove the bowl. If you see any pieces left, put the bowl into the microwave again for about 30 seconds at medium heat.
Step 7: Stir the melted caramels well.
#4. Melting by Using A Oven
Step 1: Put the caramels into oven safe cookware
Step 2: Set the oven to 200º F, then put the caramels inside.
Step 3: Bake for 2 hours.
Step 4: Take it out and enjoy your perfectly melted caramels.
Note: This method should be applied only when you have many caramels that need to be melted. Refer to the below video for a more detailed guide:
#5. How To Melt Kraft Caramels By Using a Slow Cooker
To melt caramel candies using a Slow Cooker, you had better use a block of soft caramels instead of hard ones. In the process of melting, you also need some sub-additives like cream or milk to prevent caramels from being too dry.
Step 1: Put a heat-safe bowl into the slow cooker, as long as the bowl is fitted with the cooker. If you want to melt a large caramel, you should put a large bowl into it and opposite.
Step 2: Taking an unopened soft caramel candy and milk into the bowl. As usual, it requires 30 ml of milk for every 397g of caramel. If you have milk no longer, you can replace it by using heavy cream or water to keep the caramels moist in the melting process.
Step 3: Pour the water into the slow cooker until it is equal to caramels.
Step 4: Cover the lid on the slow cooker and take it on the gas stove. Then, you should set up and cook at high heat for 2 hours.
Step 5: In the melting process, sometimes you stir it on if needed. If it still lumps, it means you should cook longer. In contrast, if it does not have any lumps, it is all finished.
Step 6: When the caramel is all melted, you turn off the stove and put it cooler at room temperature. Then, pour the leftover caramel into a glass bottle and store it in the fridge. With this storage, your caramel can be used for a maximum of up to 3 months.
Tips For The Best Dishes And Storing The Liquid
1. Use The Melted Caramels Immediately
After melting the caramels, you should use it right before it cools and hardens.
If you want to keep it at the desired consistency for longer, pour the melted caramel into a warmed pot or double boiler after cooking it in a microwave.
If you don’t find these in your kitchen, you will have to re-melt it several times, though it’s time-consuming does not have so many advantages for your health.
2. Consider Putting Added Ingredients
During the melting, you should add the extra ingredients to make the caramel smoother.
Depending on your uses, you can choose among heavy whipping cream, milk, or even water as in sticky descending order. Moreover, you should consider the thickness of milk or cream types.
Things get easier if you use water, the more water you add in, the weaker the melted caramel is.
3. Protect The Leftover In An Airtight Container
In case you want to store the leftover caramels instead of just eating the rest, put the melted caramels in an airtight container and place it in your fridge. That will prevent the bacteria and other external harmful factors to spoil the liquid. It can even have an expiry date up to 7 days.
How To Melt Kraft Caramels In Recipes
#1. How to melt caramel for caramel apples
Caramel apples are a sweet treat suitable for gift-giving or serving on a special occasion to relatives and friends.
INGREDIENTS
- Wooden craft sticks: 6
- Butter
- Apples: 6
- Package wrapped caramels: 1 bag
- Milk: 2 tablespoons
DIRECTIONS
1. Wash, dry, and remove the apples’ stem before pressing and inserting a craft stick on the top of the apple.
2. Take milk and caramels into a heat-safe bowl, then put them into a microwave for 2 minutes. Subsequently, you can stir them together and be cool in a short time.
3. Prepare some paper sheets. Roll the apples one by one in caramel sauce until they are well coated with caramel. Then, put them into the prepared paper.
When finished making caramel apples, the caramel coating seems very gooey, so you should put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Before serving for 15 minutes, you should take it out from the refrigerator and wait to enjoy it.
Tip: If you still have some leftover caramel apples, remember to store them in the refrigerator.
#2. How to melt caramel for popcorn
Popcorn is a favorite snack of family members at every gathering. However, do you know how to make homemade popcorn which not chewy or crunchy? Let me show you in detail.
INGREDIENTS
- Caramels: 1 bag
- Butter or margarine: 3 tablespoon
- Water: 2 tablespoon
- Air-popped popcorn: 12 cups
- Nuts: 1 cup
DIRECTIONS
1. Turn on the oven and heat up to 300 °F. Then, using cooking spray to spray on a large baking tray.
2. Put the caramels, butter, and water in the saucepan and cook at low heat. Stir until the caramel is melted totally, and all ingredients are mixed.
3. Pour nuts and popcorn into a large bowl, covering them entirely with the caramel mixture.
4. Spread covered nuts and popcorn on the prepared baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. It would be best if you stirred them often until the nuts and popcorn fully bloom.
5. Pour baked the nuts and popcorn on an already aluminum. Remember to separate and let them be cool before enjoying them.
#3. How to melt Kraft caramels with milk
Some people said that the caramel with milk is the same as a new hot chocolate with a deep, nutty, and sweet flavor. This dessert beverage is favored by most kids and adults in every meal together.
INGREDIENTS
- Caramels: 1 bag
- Water: 1/2 cup
- Warm milk: 1/2 cup
- Kosher salt: 1 pinch
- Unsalted butter: 1 tablespoon
DIRECTIONS
1. Take caramel in a small saucepan, cover the lid, and burn at medium-high heat.
2. When the caramel is melting, do not hurry to stir it on. If you see it melt unevenly, you can rotate and shake the pot gently until the caramel turns a golden-brown color.
3. When it has the required color, turn off the stove and add the milk while stirring the blend in one direction.
4. Keep the mixture on low heat. Whisk the mixture together and place on the heat for one more minute until the sauce is light condensation.
5. Add the salt and blend the mixture until getting the okay liquid combination. Thereafter, you should turn off the stove to put butter into them. You also use an egg beater to mix if needed.
Make sure your caramel with milk is cooler before serving.
Tip: Add a pinch of salt will make your caramel sweeter.
#4. How to melt chocolate and caramel together
The chocolate and caramel are inspired by Girl Scout, a great dessert, and you should try it once in your life. They combined well to make a soft, chewy, bittersweet, delicious meal that nobody can refuse.
INGREDIENTS
- Caramels: 12 candies
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: 1 cup
- Shortening: 2 teaspoon
- White candy melts: 1/4 cup
DIRECTIONS
1. Take one teaspoon of shortening with the chocolate chips into a heat-safe bowl, then put them into the microwave at high heat. Each 15-second, we stir them one until it is 30 seconds. If you realize the mixture is smooth, it is okay.
2. Dip the caramels in the chocolate blend and take them out to put on parchment paper. Wait for some minutes; the chocolate is cooler and more rigid.
3. Put the white melt caramel candies (or white chocolate chips) and the remain of shortening in a small bowl to heat in the microwave. When it is 15-second, we stir them until it gets 45 seconds or the blend becomes smooth.
4. Using the sauce to drizzle over the above-hardened chocolate caramels.