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Hi Bold Bakers!
Classic desserts, like Pumpkin, Pecan, and Apple Pies always rule during the holidays. No baker’s repertoire would be complete without those essentials. If you haven’t tried them yet, please see my favorite pie recipes located here.
Salted Pumpkin Caramels may not be a traditional holiday treat, but they are so delicious and so easy, I just had to share the recipe with you. I hope it makes its way into your recipe collection and becomes part of your Thanksgiving tradition from here on. As an Irish ex-patriot living in California, it didn’t take me long to come around to the flavor of pumpkin in desserts. It was very foreign to me when I first moved to the U.S. However, I have never met a dessert I didn’t like, so why not try a pumpkin-flavored treat? My rationale was, “If it’s as yummy in sweet cooking as it is in savory, then I have nothing to worry about.” Smart, right?
Well, I wasn’t wrong, nor disappointed. I absolutely love pumpkin these days, especially since I celebrate Thanksgiving now and it seems like pumpkin plays as much of a role in the holiday as turkey does!
This recipe for Salted Pumpkin Caramels is from Food52.com, and was introduced to it when I worked as a pastry chef in San Francisco. Part of a pastry chef’s job is to make the after-dinnr petit fours. Another chef had this recipe hidden away in her notebook until I convinced her to share it with me. (Chefs are VERY protective of their good recipes!) The caramels were so wonderful I wasn’t leaving without the recipe.
These Salted Pumpkin Caramels are perfect for the Holiday season. They are sweet, spiced, and smooth. My favorite part is the texture contrast between the soft pumpkin caramel and the crunchy pumpkin seeds. If you are looking for a twist on a traditional Thanksgiving treat, this Salted Pumpkin Caramels recipe is perfect for you.
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Ingredients
- 2/3 Cup (2oz/60g) unsalted pumpkin seeds/pepitos
- 1 1/2 Cups (12floz) cream
- 2/3 Cup (6oz/180g) pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 Cups (16oz/454g) white sugar
- 8 tablespoons light corn syrup*
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons of water
- 4 tablespoons (2oz/60g) butter, cut in chunks
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp fleur de sel
Instructions
- Dry toast the pepitos in a skillet until they start to pop. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8-in square glass pan with parchment.
- Evenly spread out the toasted pepitos on the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment.
- In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, pumpkin puree and spices.
- Get this mixture quite warm, but not boiling. Set aside.
- In a second heavy bottomed pan, with sides at least 4 inches high, combine the sugar, both syrups and water.
- Stir until the sugars are melted, Then let it boil until it reaches 244 degrees (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer). Then very carefully add the cream and pumpkin mixture, and slowly bring this mixture to 240 degrees as registered on a on a candy thermometer. This can take awhile — like 30 minutes — but don’t leave the kitchen, watch it carefully and stir it more frequently once it hits 230 degrees to keep it from burning at the bottom of the pan.
- As soon as it reaches the 240, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Stir vigorously so that butter is fully incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let cool 30 minutes and sprinkle the salt over the top. Let the caramels fully set (at least 2 hours) before using a hot knife to cut them into 1-inch squares and wrapping them individually in waxed paper.
- Keep the caramel out at room temperature for 3-4 weeks.
Recipe Notes
Would this work using canned coconut? I’m dairy free, so cream is out for me.
I’m in the UK, can I use golden syrup instead of the corn syrup? Or would it need to be liquid glucose? Thanks!
What is Fleur de sel?
Hi Gemma I love toffee would like to make some have you got an easy recipe to make plain or salted toffee thanks Claire
Hi Gemma!
Thank you so much for all of the great recipes!! For this one, would it be ok to omit the pumpkin and spice ingredients for just plain caramels?
Thank you!
Sounds really yummy. Have made several of your recipes. If you were to leave out the pumpkin, would any of the other recipe amounts change?
Thanks
can you use this recipe without pumpkin??
You are awesome lady.. accidentally saw your video once and after that i’m just drooling over your recipes which are always so easy and yummy..
Just fabulous
Do you have a recipe for salted caramel ice cream? Or do you have any idea how I could do it with your ice cream base?
What an interesting way of using pumpkin and the seeds too! I am a pumpkin addict but I have never seen this before. Must be really moreish. Really nice recipe and nice blog too! 🙂