Buttery Dark Brown Sugar Caramels Recipe, Wilton UltraGold Pan Review (2024)

Do you love baking for the holidays? There was a time when I really didn’t like it. I was younger and I didn’t have an arsenal of baking products at my disposal. I’d come up with recipes for what I wanted to bake, buy all the ingredients, then find out that I didn’t have the right equipment.

The same thing happened a few years ago. I was pregnant with Haiden and determined to make homemade caramels for my coworkers. I’d actually bought special ingredients and dumped them all into a big pot to start cooking on the stove when I realized I didn’t have a jelly roll pan. I quickly substituted with two smaller cookie sheets, but the dimensions weren’t right for wrapped square candies. The caramels ended up thinner than I would have liked; not the thick, chewy mouthful-sized squares that I had envisioned.

Fast-forward through another pregnancy over Christmas, then a holiday season with “two under two” and I haven’t been in any shape to undertake holiday candymaking for the past two years! I had forgotten all about my need for a jelly roll pan until I started working with Wilton on a review. When they let me pick an item to try out, I jumped on the Wilton Ultragold 11×17 Jelly Roll Pan.

I received this pan in the hottest part of August, and I told Wilton via that, even for this Minnesota mom blogger, it was way to hot outside to do any sort of intensive baking or cooking with it inside! I promised that I’d do some baking with it when it cooled off. Before I knew it, holiday baking season was here and I was ready to break out my pan.I pulled out my amazing caramel recipe and got to work.

Unfortuntately, the recipe required me to line the pan with heavy-duty foil, so some photos don’t display the full beauty of the pan, but I love that it was protected for future use! The pan has all sorts of great features that make using it easy. It’s lightweight so it can be lifted with one hand, but it’s sturdy enough to withstand a heavy filler, like caramels. It also has great oversized handles along the edges for easy grabbing, tilting and resetting. That’s important for candy-making!

Here’s how to make some fabulous holiday caramels:

Line a jelly roll pan (I used my Wilton Ultragold jelly roll pan) with heavy-duty foil (heavy-duty foil is essential!), extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Butter the foil and set the pan aside.

In a heavy 6-quart pot, melt butter over medium-low heat then add the brown sugar,condensed milk, and corn syrup; mix well.

Cook and stir over medium-high heat to boiling.

Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. DO NOT touch the thermometer to the bottom of the pot. Cook and stir over medium heat to 248°, firm-ball stage.

Remove pot from heat, remove the thermometer, and stir in the vanilla. Immediately pour the mixture into your prepared pan. Allow to set overnight.

The next day, when caramel is set, use foil to lift out of pan. Cut the caramel into 1-inch squares with a sharp, buttered knife. Wrap each piece in a 3×3″ square of waxed paper.

Makes about 4 lbs (over 100 wrapped caramels). Distribute and enjoy!

Here’s your printable recipe:

Thanks to Wilton who provided the Ultragold Jelly Roll pan to review at no cost to me.