This pumpkin spice caramel recipe will make you forget all about Ghirardelli pumpkin spice caramel. Pumpkin spice caramel with a sweet cream nougat is the perfect candy for the upcoming holiday season. Which holiday? Halloween. Thanksgiving. So much food, so much candy, so much pie. Google has over 190 million results for "Pumpkin pie."
Pumpkin spice caramel with browned butter nougat. It's not pie.
This is not another pie. Pumpkin spice caramel with a sweet cream nougat takes your favorite pumpkin pie flavors and makes them into an impressive candy that guests will love. This page has two recipes on it, pumpkin spice pecan caramel and sweet cream nougat. The "jump to recipe" button takes you to the caramel recipe and the nougat recipe is directly below it.
This takes time.
Yes, this is delicious and worth it. You need three days for this dessert. Each layer will need to set up overnight. It takes me an additional day to cut and wrap the caramels. Before making these, read this blog post entirely. Ask me questions! I'm happy to help! There are two recipes on this page, one for caramel and one for nougat. "Jump to recipe" takes you to the caramel recipe.
- 1: Make the pumpkin spice caramel.
- 2: Make the sweet cream nougat. Layer it directly on top of the pumpkin spice caramel.
- 3: Cut and wrap the candy.
Equipment for pumpkin spice caramel with nougat
- 8 quart minimum, thick bottomed, heavy duty pot.
- Candy thermometer. It's a deal breaker without one. Don't attempt it without. Test your thermometer by taking the temperature of boiling water. It should be between 210-212F.
- 5 qt. planetary mixer.
- High heat spatula or wooden spoon for stirring.
- 12 X 17 sheet pan with edges.
- Parchment paper
- Cooking spray
Ingredients - pumpkin spice caramel recipe
- Evaporated milk
- Sugar
- Heavy cream
- Salt
- Butter
- Corn syrup
- Molasses
- Pecans
- Pumpkin pie spice
Ingredients - sweet cream nougat
- Corn Syrup
- Egg Whites
- Vanilla
- Sugar
- Butter
- LorAnn Cheesecake Flavoring (I found mine on Amazon)
Day 1: pumpkin spice caramel recipe
At the heart of this caramel is a deliciously blended milk, cream, butter, and sugar. Corn syrup is used because it gives the caramel a silky texture and the caramel has a nice pull when you bite into it. Also, corn syrup extends the shelf life. The shelf life is 3-4 months. The pecans in this recipe are used to mimic the texture of a pie crust. They are added at the very end of cooking.
Let's talk pumpkin pie spice
There is A LOT of pumpkin pie spice in this recipe. Do NOT add it until the very end of cooking, because it will pull in water and you won't be able to cook the correct amount of water from the caramel. It must be blended with the molasses or it will clump. Before you start adding your caramel ingredients to your pot, weigh them all out. Have all the ingredients lined up and ready to go.
Day 2: sweet cream nougat
This is a basic nougat that uses an added flavor. Substituting the sweet cream flavor for vanilla is okay, but I do highly recommend the cheesecake flavor. It really makes the candy "pop" and gives it a whole new taste dimension. It is like topping the worlds best pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream.
Day 3: cut and wrap
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 cut these?
The size you cut these is personal preference. I cut them in to rectangles, ¾" in width and 1.5" in length. I use cello candy wrappers to wrap them that are precut in size. You can use parchment or wax paper that you cut at home. Cello candy wrappers are found at any craft store that has a baking/candy making section. They are also on Amazon. Wrappers must be at least 5" x 5" in size to allow enough space to wrap the candy.
Storage and shelf life
This candy should be kept at room temperature. It does not need to be refrigerated or frozen. Keep it away from extreme heat. Shelf life is approximately 4 months.
VIDEO Instructions
The video below shows a different candy being made but it is a caramel base with nougat top. The layering process is the same.
Love caramel recipes? I've got others!
Pumpkin Spice Pecan Caramel
Equipment
- heavy duty thick bottomed pot 8 quart minimum
- high heat spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
Milk base for Caramel
- 680 grams evaporated milk 2 full 12 ounce cans
- 113 grams unsalted butter 1 stick
- 360 grams heavy cream fill up one of the 12 ounce evaporated milk cans
- 3 grams baking soda
- 4 grams salt
- 3 grams soy or sunflower lecithin
Sugars for Caramel
- 500 grams white sugar
- 600 grams corn syrup
Finishing Ingredients
- 100 grams molasses
- 28 grams pumpkin spice
- 250 grams pecan halves
Instructions
- Line a 12 x 17" sheet pan with parchment paper, leaving enough on the sides to be able to lift the entire pan of caramel out of the pan. Set aside.
- In your heavy duty pot, combine evaporated milk, butter, heavy cream, baking soda, salt, and lecithin. Turn heat to medium.
- Stirring constantly, bring mix to 180F. When you reach 180F, turn off heat and let liquid mix sit undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- While the liquids are resting combine molasses and pumpkin spice. Stir the pumpkin spice into the molasses until it is dissolved. Set aside.
- Once your liquids have rested for 20 minutes, add in sugar and corn syrup. Turn heat to medium and bring it to a boil. After your caramel beings to boil, you may increase heat to medium high. Stir the entire time this is cooking.
- When caramel reaches 240F, add in molasses and pumpkin spice mix. The temperature will drop. Bring the temperature back up to 242F.
- When the temperature reaches 242F, turn off heat and stir in pecans. Pour caramel on prepared lined sheet pan.
- Let caramel cool for a minimum of 4 hours before making nougat to layer on top. If you are only making the caramel, cover with parchment and foil after 30 minutes. Cool overnight before cutting.
Sweet Cream Nougat
Equipment
- high heat spatula or wooden spoon
- 12 x 17" sheet pan filled with cooled pumpkin spice pecan caramel
Ingredients
Egg White Meringue
- 2 large egg whites
- 100 grams corn syrup
Syrup Slurry
- 580 grams sugar
- 670 grams corn syrup
- 180 grams water
Graining Agents and Flavor
- 175 grams powdered sugar
- 113 grams butter, melted
- 10 grams LorAnn cheesecake flavor
Instructions
- Melt butter. Set aside.
Egg White Meringue
- In a 5 quart planetary mixer bowl, combine egg whites and corn syrup. Mix until combined on low for ten second and turn off mixer. Have bowl on mixer stand ready to go.
Syrup Slurry & Nougat Making
- In a thick bottomed, heavy duty pan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water.
- Cook over high heat until syrup reaches 234F. When syrup hits 234F, turn your mixture on high to start whipping egg whites.
- Cook syrup until 252F. Turn off heat.
- Slowly stream hot syrup into whipping egg whites. This needs to be done slowly so you do not collapse egg white meringue.
- Once all the syrup is added, continue whipping on high for four minutes.
- Turn mixer to low and add flavor, powdered sugar and butter.
- Mix on high for 30 seconds to incorporate all ingredients.
- Turn off mixer. Layer nougat directly over top of pumpkin spice pecan caramel.
- Let cool to touch. Cover lightly and rest overnight before cutting.
Cutting and Wrapping
- Once nougat has rested overnight, lift the entire pan of candy (caramel and nougat) out onto a safe cutting surface.
- Using a sharp knife, cut into desired shape and size. I cut mine into 0.75" wide x 1.25" long pieces.
- Wrap pieces in cello candy wrap or wax paper.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!