Skip to main content

These Homemade Salted Bourbon Caramels are the Perfect Holiday Gift

We never truly tire of receiving bottles of booze when friends come over for a dinner or party. We don’t get sick of giving them, either. But as the holidays approach and our calendars fill with more festive gatherings, we’re trying to think of fun, creative ways to say thank you for a night of revelry in someone’s home. And really, nothing says you care like a handmade gift, especially one that is edible and delicious.

Natasha Breen/Getty Images

Enter the salted bourbon caramel. Chef Donald Wressell of the Guittard Chocolate Company created this recipe for The Manual, just in time for holiday gift-giving season. These little morsels are simply irresistible, thanks to the addition of bourbon and flaky sea salt that adds a sweet-savory flavor punch. These are perfect for serving at your next holiday soiree, and they make a great gift for even the most discerning party host. Give them to mom, your boss, your kid’s school teacher, or even the mailman to bring some festive cheer. Just try not to eat them all yourself (trust us, it will be difficult).

Recommended Videos

When it comes to the bourbon to use, you have some options as well. High rye bourbons will impart spicy notes while wheated bourbons will contribute to a softer bourbon flavor. Finally, with a bourbon that is heavy on the barley, you’ll find toffee and cereal notes. All of these will change the flavor profile of the final product slightly (allowing you more room to experiment as well). If you need some options, check out this list of affordable whiskies.

(Note: 10 grams is equal to around .33 ounces.)

Arx0nt/Getty Images

Salted Bourbon Caramels

Ingredients:

  • 35 g water
  • 150 g bourbon, divided
  • 225 g sugar
  • 33 g corn syrup
  • 135 g unsalted butter
  • 215 g heavy cream
  • 1.5 g sea salt (such as Jacobsen Salt Co.’s Flake Salt)

Method:

  1. Combine water, 60 grams of bourbon, sugar, and glucose in a medium saucepan.
  2. Bring to a simmer on high heat until color appears, and continue cooking on medium-low heat to a deep amber caramel. Stir carefully as color deepens to ensure even cooking from middle to center of pot.
  3. Add butter when amber color is reached, stir in until fully emulsified.
  4. Add pre-warmed cream slowly to the pot while stirring with a long-handled whisk. Continue cooking on high while stirring continuously until 120 degrees Celsius is reached.
  5. Add remaining bourbon very slowly while stirring, followed by the salt. Return to 120 degrees Celcius (248 degrees Fahrenheit).
  6. Remove from heat and hand blend until smooth.
  7. Pour into an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan that has been greased lightly, lined with parchment, and then greased lightly again.
  8. Allow to cool for several hours or overnight before unmolding and cutting into squares to wrap in cellophane.
  9. For gifting, place a chocolate bar, such as the Guittard Chocolate 72 percent Quetzacoatl Bar, in a small paper or cellophane bag and fill around the bottom with the individually wrapped caramels. Tie off with a bow or a piece of twine for a simple present.
Topics
Amanda Gabriele
Amanda Gabriele is a food and travel writer at The Manual and the former senior editor at Supercall. She can’t live without…
Cheers to a dry spring with this non-alcoholic take on a Moscow Mule
A fresh, bright, gingery mocktail using non-alcholic wine
Libby White Ginger Fizz

With spring in the air, you might be looking for a lighter, non-alcoholic option for a refreshing drink to enjoy. If that's the case then we have a couple of mocktail recipes for you courtesy of Libby Non-Alcoholic Wine, including a zingy and gingery taken on the Moscow Mule. While that drink typically involves vodka and ginger beer, this version calls for fresh ginger juice which is sharper and more flavorful than packaged options, including adding some extra punch through the use of black pepper and texture achieved with chia seeds. That's added to a base of non-alcoholic wine for fizz and sharpness, creating a grown-up ginger drink that has all the flavor of a Mule but without the alcohol.
Libby White Ginger Fizz

By Grant Hemingway, Libby Non-Alcoholic Wine

Read more
Interested in HelloFresh meal kits? Use this promo code for freebies
An example of a HelloFresh meal kit.

If you've been interested in signing up for meal kit deliveries but you're not sure where to start, we highly recommend going for HelloFresh. The service comes with a wide range of choices for you or the whole family, and with the promo code DIGITALFFLP, you'll be able to enjoy a free high-protein item for life plus up to 10 free meals. You should start with your healthier lifestyle as soon as possible, so sign up now and start taking advantage of this offer.

Why you should sign up for HelloFresh
Are meal kit delivery services worth it? The answer is a definite yes, especially if you're signing up with HelloFresh. We've identified it as one of the best meal kit delivery services because it gives you a choice among a wide array of meals that you can easily prepare in 30 to 45 minutes. You'll receive a box that contains detailed instructions and everything that you need for each dish, with all the ingredients pre-portioned to make things much easier for you.

Read more
Cedar Ridge Distillery is launching two new limited-edition whiskeys
Iowa's Cedar Ridge is releasing a pair of finished whiskeys
Cedar Ridge Distillery

If you don’t know about Iowa’s Cedar Ridge Distillery by now, you must not be paying much attention to the whiskey world. This award-winning distillery was founded in 2005 by Jeff Quint. Somehow, there hadn’t been a licensed distillery in the number one corn-producing state in the US since Prohibition.

It’s well-known for its flagship whiskeys, which include Cedar Ridge Straight Bourbon, The Quintessential American Single Malt Whiskey, and Cedar Ridge Wheat Whiskey (among others). It’s also known for its collaborations, partner products, special releases, and limited releases. Recently, the iconic brand added to the latter list of whiskeys with the launch of two new limited-edition whiskeys.
The new port cask finished whiskeys

Read more