Ginger Caramels, and All the End of the Year Celebrations

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets birthday, caramelos, Christmas, dulces de Navidad, gengibre, Thanksgiving

Come Thanksgiving, and everything is a whirlwind of events, celebrations and parties. The fact that my birthday is in early December adds to it. Not to mention the yearly tradition of attending the Handel’s Messiah concert by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Ginger caramels have become a favorite with my sons at this time of year, so I thought it was time to post the recipe here on the blog.

Making wreaths with Shelby and Ruby Moon Flower Farm

The young ones at Thanksgiving

One of the utensils you will need for ginger caramels (or for any type of caramel) is a candy thermometer. I suggest you get one if you plan on making caramels, because they’re not expensive, and they take the guesswork out of reaching the right consistency for your caramels —not too soft, not too hard, just right.

Thanksgiving 2025 at home

Turkey day!

When I was younger, the year felt like an eternity, the time between one birthday and the next was very long. But it seems like, as I get older, Thanksgiving and Christmas happen when I still have memories of the previous ones. It’s not a good or a bad thing, it’s just an observation. Time passes more quickly. It feels like we just celebrated Thanksgiving, but Christmas is right around the corner.

And in between, I celebrated my birthday with a number of get-togethers. Wreath making with Shelby under the direction of Kari from Ruby Moon Flower Farm was a lot of fun, and I’m still dreaming of the apple kuchen that Betsy made for me (a favorite of Saint John Paul II and now a favorite at this house as well!). Dining out with Dave is always a treat, and so it was this time. Some people don’t like birthdays, but I love being able to count one more.

Snow in November!

Beautiful wreaths by Ruby Moon Flower Farm

Another birthday celebration!

The Haendel’s Messiah concert is a Christmas tradition —performed by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Choir

Christmas party!

Our family celebrations have evolved over the years. We have celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends since our children were toddlers, and now they’re grown ups —some of them married, some of them expecting children, some of them live abroad and others in different states. Yet Christmas seems to be (thankfully!) the time when we all finally reunite. It’s a very busy time at our house, particularly as I try to make all the sweets and dishes everyone likes and don’t enjoy during the year. But I also like to experiment with one or two new recipes. Whether it is fabada asturiana, with the real beans from Asturias brought by one of my children, or personal beef Wellingtons, or pulpo a la gallega, octopus with potatoes Galician style, every year there’s a new recipe to enjoy.

I started making ginger caramels last year and they were such a success that they have become part of the yearly repertoire. There will also be at our Christmas table the traditional Spanish Christmas treats that Ethan will bring from Miami, turrón and polvorones, and the Nanaimo bar , yule log (tronco de Navidad) and mince pie that I make every year (check those recipes here and here.)

As we get closer to the festivities and the Nativity celebrations, I want to wish you a happy one with your family and friends. This might be my last post of the year, so I also wish you a 2026 of health, prosperity and peace in the world.

Merry Christmas!

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GINGER CARAMELS

Caramelos con gengibre

Course: Dessert, Snack

Author: Natacha Sanz Caballero, Mama Ía blog

Equipment

• Candy thermometer
• 9x13 inch baking pan
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup chopped candied ginger

Instructions

• Butter the baking pan. Line it with parchment paper, leaving enough to hang over the edges to be able to lift it later.
• In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, butter and syrup and heat at medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the sugar has been dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture changes color to dark golden and thickens slightly. I prefer to use a candy thermometer and remove the saucepan from the heat source when the thermometer reads 248ºF. It will take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
• Stir in the sea salt, vanilla and chopped ginger. Pour the mixture into the 9x12 pan. Let rest at room temperature overnight.
• The next day, lift the caramel out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut the caramels any size you wish —mine are about 1x2 inches. Wrap them in cut to size wax paper.

Notes

I store the caramels in a cookie tin and they last for weeks —but they will most likely be consumed before!