These nilla wafer caramel candies are such an easy Christmas Candy recipe. They have a little dollop of homemade caramel and a drizzle of sweet milk chocolate. They take only a few minutes to assemble and are a favorite every time!
If you are looking for an easy Christmas Candy recipe, this is the one for you! You can use pre-made caramel candy or you can make your own. This recipe will help you with either method you choose.
What you will need to make homemade Christmas candy
- Nilla Wafers
- Pre-made or ingredients for homemade caramel (Ingredients listed in recipe card)
- Milk Chocolate (you can use chocolate chips or a big bar of milk chocolate
- Sprinkles, if desired
Here are some other easy Christmas Candy ideas:
Gingersnap Cookies- White Chocolate Dipped
How to make Christmas Candy:
The first thing you will need to do is to make your homemade caramel for the Christmas candy. Dump all the ingredients for the caramel into a non-stick pot and stir constantly. Be sure to scrape all areas of the non-stick pot while you bring the temperature of the caramel to a rapid boil and then to 240 degrees Fahrenheit. 240 degrees is considered the soft-ball stage when making candy. This will ensure your caramel is firm enough to stay on the nilla wafer and soft enough to bite into and chew.
Next, you will lay out parchment paper on a baking sheet. Parchment is preferred over wax paper in this instance because caramel comes off it easier.
Lay the nilla wafers on the parchment paper. They need to be in a single layer and preferably spaced out at least a half inch. This way the caramel can spread just a little and you will have space for the chocolate drizzle to cove the cookie.
Melting the chocolate:
Now you will need to melt the chocolate. I usually buy a large, commercial size (10 lb) chocolate bar during the holiday season. It’s not a lot more expensive than chocolate chips per pound and you will be amazed at how creamy and smooth the texture is. I like to order mine from Baker’s C and C. I’m in love with Peter’s milk chocolate. Their dark chocolate is the bomb too! On a side note, they also have a large brick of caramel. It’s the way to go if you want to skip the homemade caramel step.
Microwave your chocolate wafers on high for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. (Be sure you stir the chocolate. The chocolate will retain their shape until stirred so don’t rely on the looks of the chocolate.) Repeat melting the chocolate for 30 seconds and stirring for until the chocolate is almost melted. When there small chunks of the wafer remaining. Don’t microwave again. Just keep stirring the chocolate until all the small pieces have melted too. The heat from the unmelted chocolate and from the bowl will melt the rest and cool it down a little too.
Take a small spoon and drop about a teaspoon of caramel on the nilla wafer, do this to all of the nilla wafers. Next, you are going to use a fork or small spoon and drizzle the chocolate onto the nilla, caramel cookie.
Place in a cool place for about 30 minutes until the caramel is cooled and the chocolate has hardened. Enjoy!
These nilla wafer caramel candies are such an easy Christmas Candy recipe. They have a little dollop of homemade caramel and a drizzle of sweet milk chocolate. They take only a few minutes to assemble and are a favorite every time!
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup karo syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 batch homemade caramel
- 1 box Nilla Wafers
- 1 lb Chocolate (preferably Peter's chocolate or 1 bag of Guiddard Milk Chocoalte Chips)
- Sprinkles, if desired
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In a large non-stick pot, add the butter Karo syrup, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and the can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir constantly until the butter is melted and sugars are dissolved. Continue to stir until the caramel has a rapid boil. Using a candy thermometer, bring the caramel to a boil.
Keep stirring until the temperature of the caramel raises to 240 degrees. 240 degrees is considered the soft-ball stage when making candy. This will ensure your caramel is firm enough to stay on the nilla wafer and soft enough to bite into and chew.
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Remove the homemade caramel from the heat and the vanilla extract. Stir.
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Lay the nilla wafers on the parchment paper. They need to be in a single layer and preferably spaced out at least a half inch. This way the caramel can spread just a little and you will have space for the chocolate drizzle to cove the cookie.
-
Microwave your chocolate on high for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. (Be sure you stir the chocolate. The chocolate will retain their shape until stirred so don’t rely on the looks of the chocolate.) Repeat melting the chocolate for 30 seconds and stirring for until the chocolate is almost melted. When there small chunks of the wafer remaining. Don’t microwave again. Just keep stirring the chocolate until all the small pieces have melted too. The heat from the unmelted chocolate and from the bowl will melt the rest and cool it down a little too.
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Take a small spoon and drop about a teaspoon of caramel on the nilla wafer, do this to all of the nilla wafers. Next, you are going to use a fork or small spoon and drizzle the chocolate onto the nilla wafer with caramel.
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Place in a cool place for about 30 minutes until the caramel is cooled and the chocolate has hardened. Enjoy!
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