This candy is bold and smooth! The soft caramel pairs beautifully with rich black licorice creating a treat that is irresistible. Making candy might sound intimidating at first but it’s actually quite easy and there’s not many things that beat homemade caramels which makes all the stirring well worth it!

History of Caramel

The basic version of caramel can be traced back to Arabic nation in 1000 AD where the candy was first made with just heating sugar and water to create a hard candy. Arabs named the sweet treat “kurat al milh” which roughly translates to “sweet ball of salt”. The modern soft version of caramels wasn’t created until 1860s by adding milk and fat to the boiling sugar water. Now back to the recipe!

How to make black licorice caramels?

Place black licorice in a large heavy bottomed pot with about 1/2 cup of water. Keep stirring over low heat until the licorice has melted, adding water a few table spoons at a time as it evaporates. This will take about 1-2 hours and you will use about 2-3 cups of water. Once the black licorice has melted stir in sweetened condensed milk, butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt and corn syrup. Simmer over medium heat while stirring frequently until the temperature is 235-240f - about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and black food coloring. Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper And pour the caramel on it. Smooth out the top and let it come to room temperature, then move in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cut squares from parchment paper to use as wrappers for the candy. Once the caramel has set cut it in cubes and wrap each piece with the parchment paper and twist the ends to secure.