Recipes Desserts Candy Recipes Caramel Salted Pumpkin Caramels 4.9 (8) 7 Reviews 2 Photos Making your own homemade salted pumpkin caramels is much easier than you would think. Scooping out a pumpkin and carving a jack-o-lantern is much harder! If you've never made caramel candy, this recipe is a great place to start. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on October 29, 2024 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 2 2 Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Cool Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Servings: 64 Yield: 64 1-inch candies Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe Contrary to popular belief, making your own caramel candy is a relatively simple procedure, which doesn’t require any special skills or years of experience to pull off. You do need a trustworthy thermometer, some patience, and (most importantly), the ability to not stick your finger in the pot of boiling sugar while it’s cooking. But, other than that, this incredible salted pumpkin caramel recipe is absolutely something you can master. Notes From the Chef Speaking of thermometers, it’s not a bad idea to have a couple options around to make sure you’re getting an accurate reading. As I explained, my candy thermometer was way off, which I wouldn’t have known about had I not double-checked with my others.Of course, you can use the old drop some caramel in water trick to see what stage it’s at — but a verifiably accurate thermometer is recommended. Besides getting the mixture to the right temperature, not much can go wrong, and I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy! More recipes: Try the latest and greatest recipes from Chef John! Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 64 servings 2/3 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds 2/3 cup pumpkin puree 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 2 cups white sugar 1/3 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into slices 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as fleur de sel Directions Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, tossing often, until they just start to turn a very light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; transfer to a bowl to cool. Cooled seeds should taste sweet and nutty; browning too much may make them taste burnt and bitter. Butter an 8x8-inch heatproof dish; line with parchment. After pressing the parchment into the dish, turn it over, so that parchment is buttered on both sides. Pour pumpkin seeds into prepared dish in an even layer. Whisk sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, and water together in a heavy bottomed 3-quart or larger saucepan; set aside. Next, prepare everything you will need to finish the caramels, and set all ingredients within reach. Stir pumpkin purée and heavy cream together in a small saucepan; place over low heat. Place butter slices in a small dish; measure cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt into another small dish. Measure vinegar, and place all ingredients near the stove, so that you can give your full attention to the caramel. Now, place the saucepan with cream and pumpkin mixture over low heat on the back of the stove. Place saucepan with sugar mixture over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, then turn heat down to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 245 degrees F (118 degrees C). Slowly stream in the warm cream and pumpkin mixture, whisking constantly, being careful the mixture doesn’t bubble up over the sides of the pan. Continue cooking on medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture returns to temperature, between 240 and 245 degrees F (115 to 118 degrees C). Turn off heat and stir in the butter, spices, salt, and vinegar until thoroughly combined. Transfer caramel very slowly into the baking dish, without disturbing the layer of pumpkin seeds. Cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle flaky sea salt crystals over the top, to taste. Cool to room temperature, wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until cold, about 30 minutes. This will make the cutting easier. Cut into 64 pieces with a long thin knife, cleaning the blade with a hot damp towel if it gets too sticky to make a clean cut. Kim I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 57 Calories 2g Fat 9g Carbs 0g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 64 Calories 57 % Daily Value * Total Fat 2g 3% Saturated Fat 1g 7% Cholesterol 7mg 2% Sodium 16mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 9g 3% Dietary Fiber 0g 1% Total Sugars 8g Protein 0g 1% Vitamin C 0mg 0% Calcium 6mg 0% Iron 0mg 0% Potassium 20mg 0% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.