Werther’s original hard caramels are very popular sweets in their own right. There’s more to these than just being sweets as Werther’s provides a host of recipes that hard caramels can be used in. Among the delicacies that can be made with Werther’s hard caramels are brownies, cheesecake, cookies, pretzels and of course the ever popular caramel apples. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to realise that all these recipes and more require you to melt the hard caramels to get them into the recipes. Melting hard caramels is not as easy as it may sound as they are thick and sticky when melted by the them self which may lead to them sticking to or hardening on surfaces or burning in the face of direct heat.
Werther’s Hard Caramels
Werther’s hard caramels are hard candy made by German confectionery company Werther’s. The company originally worked out of the town of Werther that is located in the North-Western Westphalia province of Germany. Today Werther’s operates out of Halle Westfalen. The company was founded 1903 and the Werther’s Original hard caramels were originally sold under the name Werther’s Echte. Werther’s hard caramels are made from a cocktail of ingredients that includes sugar, glucose syrup, cream, butter and syrup. Thanks to this melting pot of flavours Werther’s hard caramels have a rich smooth flavour that covers the entire palate.
Melting Werther’s Hard Caramels On The Stove
It’s important to consider how you want to use the melted hard caramels before you decide on which method you will use to melt them. It is extremely difficult to melt these hard caramels by them self on the stove top so this method is best used if they are going into a recipe that mixes with milk or cream. Other use cases for this method are cases where the melted caramels will be used in baked recipes. To melt the Werther’s hard caramels on the stove top you will need a saucepan. Add a tablespoon of butter to the saucepan and turn the stove on to medium heat. Two important things to note at this stage. Firstly avoid turning the stove up to anything past medium, the hard caramels will likely burn before achieving a melted state. Secondly, make sure to only coat the saucepan with butter and make sure you don’t use too much butter. The purpose of the butter to prevent the hard caramels from sticking to the saucepan and not to add flavour.
Once the butter has heated add your Werther’s Original hard caramels to the saucepan. This recipe is for two cups full of unwrapped hard caramels. From this input, you should yield roughly one and a half cups of melted caramel. Stirring the caramels into the saucepan a few at a time, raise the heat to medium-high. Do not pour in all the caramels at once. Rather allow 5 to 6 at a time into the saucepan until they melt them to add another 5 or 6. Adding too many at once will likely scorch the ones lower in the saucepan before others have melted. As the hard caramels melt you can add milk or cream that is included in the recipe you want to use the melted caramels for. Adding in this liquid will help you melt the caramels much easier and keep the mixture workable. It will take somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes to melt all the caramels successfully following this method. The most important part of melting Werther’s original hard caramels on the stove is to use the melted caramel right away. You can allow the mixture to simmer in the saucepan on low heat but do not allow the mixture to cool as it will harden very quickly.
Melting Werther’s Hard Caramels In The Microwave
You can also melt your Werther’s original hard caramels in the microwave. This method is a bit trickier than melting them on the stove. Firstly the microwave uses rapid heating of the candies so you will need to strictly adhere to the times. Secondly, you will be required to add milk or cream to give some smoothness to the melted caramels. The hard caramels are extremely dry sweets and as such do not have a lot of moisture to release when melting them. Without adding any extra liquid what you will get is a very thick melted caramel mixture that is firstly hard to work with and secondly can solidify rapidly. You’ll need your caramels, a microwave-safe bowl and milk or cream. Add the caramels to the bowl and place in your microwave.
Turn the microwave on at maximum setting for just 30 seconds. When 30 seconds are done, take the bowl out of the microwave. If the caramels have started to melt you can stir in some milk or cream and return the bowl to the microwave for another 15 seconds. If the caramels have not started to melt you can just return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Once your caramels start showing signs of melting adopt the 15-second intervals. Gradually add milk or cream as you remove the bowl each time to stir. Less is better as you don’t want to create a very runny melted caramel make sure to stir thoroughly each time. Once you have the hard caramels fully melted and the mixture at the consistency you want to use it straight away, do not allow it to cool. If you are making something like caramel apples just dip them straight in before the mixture cools and hardens.
Werther’s original hard caramels are not easy to melt but you have the option of doing it on the stove or in the microwave. The recipe you’re going to use them in will guide you as to which option to choose.
