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Life Currents
Home » Peppermint Caramels

Peppermint Caramels

December 9, 2022 by Debi 2 Comments

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Soft festive buttery and minty, these Peppermint Caramels will simply melt in your mouth, and they won’t stick to your teeth! This candy recipe makes fantastic gifts for friends and family.

The bright flavor of mint enhances the buttery sweetness of the caramels, and when you combine these two flavors, they’re pure holiday magic. 

These impressive candies are easier to make than you realize, and in no time, you’ll have a big batch to set out at a holiday party, add a few to Christmas cookie trays, or load into gift bags for neighbors, friends, and family.

Peppermint caramels on a pink serving tray, the candy in front has a bite taken out of it.
Don’t forget to pin this recipe!

We appreciate you

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

caramels wrapped in wax paper next to a small bowl with crushed peppermint in it.
These Peppermint Caramels are equally good plain. Just be sure to wrap them in wax paper.

Candy making

I’ve always considered myself a baker. And even more precise, I love candy making. Bringing sugar to the right temperature and making an amazing confection is something that is quickly becoming a lost skill.

And you know what, it really isn’t that hard to make delicious candy. The biggest trick is having a candy thermometer and having the patience to wait for the candy to come to temperature.

Want to learn more about candy and check out some great recipes? I have some great ones to try! Old Fashioned Cream Caramels (with some great candy making tips and tricks in the post), Brown Sugar Fudge, Peppermint Mocha Candy Cookies (which don’t even require a thermometer), Mocha Fudge, Candied Pecans, and Coconut Gumdrops.

many caramel squares on a piece of white parchment paper.

Pro tips on how to make great caramels

Caramels are really just two about bringing your main ingredients of sugar and dairy to the correct temperature.

Of course, you can add things to your sugar and dairy like flavorings and corn syrup to help keep the sugar from crystallizing and creating a smoother texture.

As you cook the sugar it creates that caramel color and flavor, darkening as you cook it longer.

So, let’s look at the steps to make this caramel. Be sure to check the printable recipe card lower for full ingredient amounts.

Line an 8-inch square or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper, and set aside.

You’ll notice in the pictures that I didn’t line the pan with the parchment paper. Trust me on this, it’s way easier to line it than to try and get the caramel out of the pan!

milk and cream in asmall saucepan on left, and sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan on right.

In a 1-quart saucepan, combine cream, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Place over low heat and let warm but do not allow to boil, while cooking the sugar.

Warming the milks will help keep the caramel from seizing when you add them to the hot candy later on.

You’ll want to use a high-sided 4-quart or larger saucepan. And you want the thermometer to sit ½ to 1 inch above the bottom of the pot.

Combine the corn syrup, water, and sugar in the large saucepan. Place over high heat and stir until well mixed. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.

candy thermometer

Clip on candy thermometer.

boiling candy on left, and with added milk on right.

The candy thermometer is a great tool to help you make sure you get to the correct temp. there are a couple of types of thermometers, the clip on (that you see in my pictures) and instant read thermometers.

You can go fancy with the clip on and have one with an alarm or an app that pairs to your phone. Or you can go cheap, and with the one that the grocery store sells that has an old school read out.

But I also use the instant read thermometer as a more precise back up to the clip on. The clip on tells me when the temperature is getting close, and then I’ll check with the instant read.

Make sure that your candy thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan, or the reading will be off (too hot).

continue cooking

Reduce heat to medium. Bring to a boil, and cook to 250° F or hard-ball stage. Stir in butter and warm cream-milk mixture. The temperature of the candy will decrease. Stirring constantly, continue cooking over medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 244° F or firm-ball stage.

Remove from heat and add peppermint oil or extract (more on oil vs. extract later), stir well.

cooking caramel on left and poured into a pan on right.

Pour into prepared pan. Cool. Once the pan has cooled enough to touch, place it in the fridge overnight. Cut candy into 1-inch pieces.

cooled caramel in a pan of left and cutting it into small squares on right.

Also, now’s a good time to garnish them with crushed peppermint candies, flaky salt, or colored sprinkles if you want.

Wrap in waxed paper or dip in melted chocolate. Caramels want stick together if left side-by-side, so wrap them up. 

wrapped caramels on left and dipping them on right.

Wrapped caramels can be stored at room temperature for a couple of weeks. I prefer to store them in the fridge for up to a month so they don’t get too soft.

Peppermint oil vs. peppermint extract

Peppermint oil and peppermint extract come from the same plant. The oil is very concentrated, while peppermint extract is diluted with alcohol and other liquid ingredients, so extracts are less potent.

Make sure your peppermint oil it is edible. And, there are even differences in concentration in oils.

Peppermint oil and peppermint extract can both be used in cooking. The advantage of using oil over extract is that the alcohol in the extract quickly evaporates when heated, and when the alcohol burns off, so does a lot of the peppermint flavor.

Peppermint oil stays intact in the heat. Which is why I’ve chosen to create this recipe recommending oil over extract.

Peppermint oil is more expensive, however.

Never ingest straight pure peppermint oil, which can be toxic in large doses. Never give peppermint oil to small children, and, pregnant and nursing women should also avoid it.

Sweet Potato Pie - whipping cream

Whipping cream

I often get asked, “what is whipping cream?”.

Whipping cream (also called light whipping cream) contains 30 to 34% fat, and can be found on the dairy aisle of the grocery store right next to the cartons of heavy whipping cream.

It is not a can of squirty whipped cream.

Check out my post, what to do with leftover cream, for more info on types of dairy and what to do with them.

Corn syrup

The corn syrup is used in this recipe to prevent crystallization of the sugar and create a smooth softer caramel. The recipe will not be as good without it; please don’t leave it out.

Keep in mind that light corn syrup in the recipe is not the same as high fructose corn syrup.

Salted caramels

Want a little extra flavor bump of salted caramel? Feel free to use salted butter in the recipe and a big pinch of salt on top of the caramels.

chocolate dipped caramels garnished with crushed peppermints on a pink serving tray.
Fun & festive Peppermint Caramels

How to temper chocolate

Tempered chocolate is nice and shiny, and feels firm and crisp when you bite into it. It also melts smoothly in your mouth, allowing you to fully enjoy the flavor.

Chop up your chocolate into smaller pieces, and don’t be tempted to use chocolate chips, they’re designed not to melt.

Microwave two thirds of the chopped chocolate in a liquid measuring cup at 50 % power, stirring every 30 seconds, until nearly melted. Stir in the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate until melted and smooth. Return the chocolate to the microwave if not fully melted, and heat in 5 second blasts, stirring between each one, until smooth.

Drop one caramel into the melted chocolate. Using forks, gently flip the caramel to coat it. Lift it out using a fork and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the dipped candy on a parchment paper lined tray.

chocolate dipped candies garnished with crushed peppermints and salt.
Don’t worry if the chocolate drizzles a bit when you dip it. Those tails can be broken off once they cool.

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via the pin.

chocolate dipped Peppermint Caramels and plain caramels on a piece of white parchment paper.
Decorate the Peppermint Caramels as you wish!

Recipe

a chocolate dipped caramel that has a bite taken out of it, with some crushed peppermints around it.

Peppermint Caramels

Debi
Soft festive buttery and minty, these Peppermint Caramels will simply melt in your mouth, and they won’t stick to your teeth! This candy recipe makes fantastic gifts for friends and family.
5 from 2 votes
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Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Resting time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 9 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 81 caramels
Calories 79 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • 2 cups light corn syrup
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter cut into smaller pieces
  • 10 drops peppermint oil or ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • Melted chocolate if desired

Instructions
 

  • Line an 8-inch square or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper, and set aside.
  • In a 1-quart saucepan, combine cream, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Place over low heat and let warm but do not allow to boil, while cooking the sugar.
  • In a 4-quart or larger saucepan, combine corn syrup, water, and sugar. Place over high heat and stir until well mixed. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
  • Clip on candy thermometer. Reduce heat to medium. Bring to a boil, and cook to 250° F or hard-ball stage. Stir in butter and warm cream-milk mixture. The temperature of the candy will decrease. Stirring constantly, continue cooking over medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 244° F or firm-ball stage.
  • Remove from heat and add peppermint oil or extract, stir well.
  • Pour into prepared pan. Cool. Once the pan has cooled enough to touch, place it in the fridge overnight. Cut candy into 1-inch pieces. Wrap in waxed paper or dip in melted chocolate.

Video

Notes

Wrapped caramels can be stored at room temperature for a couple of weeks. I prefer to store them in the fridge for up to a month so they don’t get too soft.

Nutrition

Calories: 79kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 0.3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 9mgPotassium: 13mgSugar: 13gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 0.01mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword candy, caramel, peppermint
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!

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Filed Under: Bars, Bites, Dessert Nibbles, Christmas, Desserts, Gifts Tagged With: candy, caramel, Christmas, Cooking, desserts, Food, gift, Gifts, peppermint

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Peppermint Marshmallows
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Comments

  1. KPar

    November 30, 2024 at 4:09 pm

    Made these yesterday, tweaked just a bit because I wanted chocolate caramels. I added chopped bakers chocolate to the cream/butter/ condensed milk pan and I couldn’t be happier. It’s important to let them come to room temperature before trying to cut. I wish I could post a picture, they look amazing, and taste even better.

  2. Jill

    April 9, 2025 at 9:03 am

    5 stars
    We like peppermint so I doubled the amount and they are terrific! Thank you so much!

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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