Oatmeal Caramels with Vanilla Nougat

Oatmeal caramels with vanilla nougat!  A delicious homemade oatmeal caramel layered with a creamy vanilla nougat.  Cut into individually wrapped pieces, perfect for candy season.  

Organic quick cooking rolled oats by provide the texture base in this fresh dairy oatmeal cream pie caramels. Share these if you want but I won’t blame you if you hide them behind those cans of veggies that have been in your pantry for almost a year.

Love nougat? I've got strawberry nougat, nutella nougat, and even gingerbread caramels with sweet cream nougat.

These require patience. 

Yes, this is delicious and worth it.  You will need at least two days for this dessert.  Each layer will need to set up, and you'll need some time to cut and wrap the caramels. If you are new to candy making, I recommend this schedule:  

• Day 1: Oatmeal caramel
• Day 2: Make vanilla nougat and layer it directly on top of the caramel.
• Day 3: Cut and wrap candy.

Equipment

• thick bottomed, heavy duty pot.  You'll use this for both the caramel making and nougat syrup.
• candy thermometer. It's a deal breaker without one. Don't attempt it without.  If your thermometer has seen better days, test it by taking the temperature of boiling water.  It should be between 210-212F.
• 5 qt. planetary mixer.  This is used when making the nougat layer.
• High heat spatula or wooden spoon for stirring.  Regular spatulas are not meant to be used in temperatures this high and they could melt.
• 8" x 6" mini sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Cooking spray

Ingredients - oatmeal caramel

 

• Whole Milk

• Heavy Cream

• Butter

• Sugar 

• Corn Syrup 

• Salt

• Baking Soda

• Bobs Red Mill Organic Quick Cooking Rolled Oats 

Ingredients - Vanilla nougat

• Corn Syrup
• Egg Whites
• Vanilla
• Sugar
• Salt
• Coconut Oil
• powdered sugar

Day 1: Oatmeal caramel

At the heart of this caramel is a deliciously blended milk, cream, butter, and sugar.  This recipe does use corn syrup because it gives the caramel a silky texture (when you bite into it, the caramel has a nice pull) as well as extending the shelf life.  If you are a candy maker or sell this, the shelf life will last 3-4 months.  

Day 2: Vanilla Nougat

This is a basic nougat. Nougat takes 12 hours to "grain" and set up to the correct texture.

Day 3: Cut and wrap

You have to wait overnight to cut these after making the nougat because the nougat needs to set up and grain.  "Graining" means that the sugar is absorbing all of the extra moisture and the texture is becoming short and tender.  A short texture will allow the nougat to hold it's shape when cut instead of flowing out of place.  It also keeps the bite very soft and easy to chew. 

What size should I make these?

The size you cut these is personal preference.  I cut them in to rectangles, ¾" in width and 1.5" in length.  To wrap them I use cello candy wrappers that are precut in size, but you can use parchment or wax paper that you cut at home. Cello candy wrappers can be found at any craft store that has a baking/candy making section, or on Amazon. Make sure they are at least 5" x 5" in size to allow enough space to wrap the candy.

Storage and shelf life for oatmeal cream caramels

This candy should be kept at room temperature.  It does not need to be refrigerated or frozen.  It should be kept away from extreme heat. Shelf life is approximately 4 months.

VIDEO Instructions