Do you love chai tea and caramel? Then you have to try these homemade Chai Tea Caramels. They taste simply divine and are chewy, creamy and soft. These caramels melt in your mouth.
Now if you think it’s too hard to make caramels from scratch at home, I can tell you that it’s not complicated and it’s really worth it. It’s better than any store-bought treat and you only need a handful of ingredients. The basic recipe includes sugar, cream and butter. That’s pretty much it.
To make perfect caramel, I highly suggest investing in a digital thermometer. It doesn’t cost much and it’s worth it because it’s important to have the right temperature.
Tools & Equipment
- 20cm/8-inch square pan
- Aluminium foil
- Candy wrappers (optional)
- Cutting board
- Digital thermometer
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Medium saucepan
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Small saucepan
- Sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
Recipe Tips
Chai Flavor: 30 minutes of infusion results in a caramel with a subtle but noticeable flavor. If you want a stronger flavor, let the tea bags infuse in the cream for another 15 minutes.
Digital Thermometer: for the texture of the caramel, the right temperature is crucial. A digital thermometer shows you exactly when the caramel is done. Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the saucepan to avoid an inaccurate measurement.
Pastry Brush: make sure to wipe off any sugar syrup that has splattered on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush. If you do not remove it, it can burn and crystallize, ruining your caramels. To avoid this, dampen the brush with water and run it along the sides of the pan.
Ingredients for Chai Caramels
Step by Step Guide – How to Make Chai Caramels
Line a 20cm/8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on the sides. Lightly grease the foil with butter. Place the heavy cream and tea bags in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and let sit for 30-45 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse.
Take out the tea bags, squeeze them over the pan to remove excess moisture and get all the tea flavor into the cream. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to discard particles of the tea.
Combine the chai cream mixture, both sugars and light corn syrup over medium heat. Stir constantly as the sugar dissolves. The mixture will look thick and cloudy. Once boiling, brush the sides of the pan with a pastry brush moistened with water.
Attach a candy thermometer to the pan, making sure it does not touch the bottom. Cook and stir every minute until the temperature reaches 121°C/250°F.
Turn off the heat immediately and stir in the salt, vanilla and butter. The mixture may burst and bubble, so be careful. Pour the hot caramel into the baking pan and allow to cool, uncovered, at room temperature overnight.
When the caramel has set, remove it from the pan by lifting up the aluminum foil. Peel off the foil and cut the caramel into rectangles or squares with a sharp knife.
Storage: keep the caramels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Wrapped individually in wax paper and stored in an airtight container at room temperature, you can store them for up to 3 weeks.
My Summary for Chai Caramels
Difficulty: simple-intermediate.
Taste: sweet, with a beautiful chai flavor and a slight hint of vanilla.
Texture: these caramels are soft & chewy and they melt in your mouth. Just amazing.
Time: making the caramel takes about 1 hour. When you placed the hot caramel into the pan it needs to set for at least 5 hours or better overnight. This means, you should plan with at least 6 hours until you can enjoy the caramel.
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