These homemade Black Licorice Caramels are buttery, soft, and so easy to make. The combination of caramel and licorice flavors with a little hint of salt makes them impossible to resist, even for skeptics.
These are perfect for giving away as gifts, serving at Halloween or holiday parties, or enjoying as a treat at home. If you’re looking for more caramel candy recipes, you can also try these classic Homemade Caramels, Chocolate Covered Caramels, or this Nilla Wafer Caramel Candy.
Black Licorice Caramels
Before you skip this recipe because you think nope—I don’t like black licorice—please trust me here. These black licorice caramels prove that there is something magical that happens when you add a little anise flavoring to buttery salted caramel.
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The combination of flavors packed inside each soft and chewy piece of candy are enough to make you keep popping them into your mouth. Don’t be afraid of making caramel, either. This recipe is virtually foolproof and uses just a few ingredients.
Below we’ve given you ingredient notes, step-by-step instructions and even a full section of tips to make sure you will make the most delicious homemade black licorice caramels. And for a final pro tip: make sure to have your kids help you wrap these!
Key Ingredients
- Butter: If you use salted butter, you may want to reduce the additional salt in the recipe to about 1/8 teaspoon.
- Sugars: you will need both granulated sugar and light brown sugar for these caramels.
- Karo Syrup/Corn Syrup: this helps prevent the sugars from crystallizing as they cook, which can cause the caramels to become gritty.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is important for this recipe. Do not substitute it for heavy cream or evaporated milk!
- Black Licorice Extract: you can use either black licorice or anise extract, as the black licorice flavor is really just anise.
- Black Coloring: without the black coloring, these will still be mostly caramel colored. So while it isn’t entirely necessary, we do eat with our eyes first! A paste or gel food coloring is best because it has less water content.
How to Make Black Licorice Caramels
- Prepare a 9” x 13” baking dish. Use butter to lightly grease your baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the caramel mixture. In a large nonstick pot, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, Karo syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Stir constantly and cook the caramel mixture until it reaches 240 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
- Add the flavoring. Once it reaches 240 degrees F, remove from the heat immediately. Add the vanilla extract, black licorice extract, and black food coloring. Stir until combined, then pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Let the caramels cool. Let the caramel cool at room temperature until completely set, or at least 2 hours.
- Cut and wrap. Once cool, transfer the sheet of caramels to a large cutting board and cut into small pieces. Wrap the candies as desired. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
After you have poured your caramel mixture into the pan, it typically takes about 2 hours for them to cool at room temperature. The cooling time is dependent on how warm the kitchen is and the size of the pan that you used. Thicker caramels will take longer to cool than thinner caramels!
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can still make these caramels! Without a thermometer, the best way to know whether or not your caramels are ready to be removed from the heat is to use the cold water method.
Put 1-2 cups of cold water in a small bowl, then drop a tablespoon of caramel into the cold water. Move it around with your fingertips and if it forms a soft ball, it’s ready. If the caramel dissolves or just runs through your fingers, keep cooking.
If your caramels have cooled and they are too soft to cut, it’s likely because you didn’t cook them to a high enough temperature. It’s incredibly important that you cook them all the way until they reach 240 degrees F, or pass the soft-ball cold water test. If not, the sugars haven’t cooked enough and they will not set up.
The easiest way to wrap caramel candies is using small squares of wax paper. Fold the wax paper around each caramel and then twist the sides very well. Make sure that you cut the caramel small enough so that you have plenty of room to twist each side enough that it will stay and not unwrap.
Recipe Tips
- Use a nonstick pan to make the caramel. This helps the caramel from sticking to the sides and makes the clean up easier.
- Stir the caramel in a vertical pattern in the pan, around the perimeter, and then in a horizontal pattern.
- One great way to make sure you are scraping the entire bottom of the pan is to use a square tip wooden spoon.
- Don’t stop stirring. I repeat—don’t stop stirring!
- Use butter—not nonstick cooking spray—to prepare the baking dish. Butter is all you should be tasting here!
- You can speed up the cooling process by sliding the baking dish of caramels in the fridge or a cool garage.
- Don’t cut the caramel until it has had a chance to cool completely and come to room temperature
- If you plan to dip these licorice caramels in chocolate, be sure to have them cut into pieces and then cooled in the fridge for at least 15 minutes so the caramels keep their shape
Storing Instructions
- Room Temperature: store wrapped caramels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: both cut and uncut caramels can be frozen for up to 2 months. Be sure to wrap them well with plastic wrap or store in a freezer bag.
Black Licorice Caramels Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup karo syrup
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Black Licorice Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Food Coloring
Instructions
- Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with butter and set aside. (Note: Do not use nonstick cooking spray for this or it will give your caramel a strange flavor)
- In a large nonstick pot, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, Karo syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring until all sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, continue stirring constantly and cook the caramel mixture until it reaches 240 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
- Once it reaches 240 degrees F, remove from the heat immediately. Add the vanilla extract, black licorice extract, and black food coloring. Stir until combined, then pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Let the caramel cool at room temperature until completely set, or at least 2 hours. Once cool, transfer the sheet of caramels to a large cutting board and cut into small pieces. Wrap the candies as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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This recipe for licorice caramels uses anise extract for flavor and is colored with black food coloring. These licorice candies are buttery, soft, chewy, and so easy to make.
