What is National Caramel Day?

On National Caramel Day each year, Caramel enthusiasts celebrate their favorite treat. This versatile confection, which was launched on April 5th, adds a rich, creamy flavor to desserts, pastries, and candies.

Caramels are made by adding milk and fat to a sugary syrup that has been simmered and continuously stirred until it reaches a light brown color. American women made candies using caramelized sugar and water as early as the seventeenth century. Since it was an inexpensive candy to make, it made its way into many recipes. Someone around the year 1850s, someone discovered that adding milk and a fat product to the cooked sugar mixture resulted in a soft, chewy candy. It should be no surprise how quickly soft caramel became popular.

Both bakers and pastry chefs use caramel to make a variety of desserts, whether as a main ingredient, flavoring, or topping. It can be used as a syrup or as the glue holding together nuts and popcorn, depending on the consistency. The candy makes great caramel apples in a more pliant form. The caramel can become brittle and is ideal for just that kind of candy making.

The longer caramel cooks, it takes on a deeper hue and a darker flavor until the sugar becomes bitter and is no longer palatable.