Step 1

Place Karo, milk, and whipping cream in a large, heavy pan (I use an old heavy-aluminum pressure cooker pan).

Step 2

Add remaining ingredients except for soda and vanilla.

Step 3

Bring to a boil and then stir and cook to softball stage - 238 degrees (2 or 3 drops of syrup can be molded into a soft ball when dropped in cold water).

Step 4

Add soda (mixture will foam; stir rapidly to make sure it doesn't boil over).

Step 5

Set aside and cool until lukewarm. Try not to bump or disturb the pan after the liquid quits boiling as that can cause it to sugar. I usually place the pan in a sink of cold water so I don't have to wait so long for it to cool.

Step 6

Using a wooden spoon or paddle, stir vanilla into cooled mixture and continue stirring until it "breaks." (If you lift the paddle above the pan and let the syrup drip back into the pan, at first it drops in a single stream back into the liquid in the pan. When it is ready, the stream breaks into pieces rather than flowing into the pan in one stream). Candy sets up almost immediately anyway.

Step 7

Transfer the candy to a buttered dish and cut into squares or, using buttered hands, form into rolls to use for nut rolls.

Step 8

Tip: If your candy sets up too quickly or is too hard or crumbly (this usually means you cooked it a little too long), just knead it with lightly buttered hands until it is smooth, pressing out any lumps with your thumb and fingers.

Step 9

Place evaporated milk and ONE cup of the cream in a large, heavy pan.

Step 10

Add sugar, corn syrup, and salt.

Step 11

Stirring with a wooden spoon or paddle, bring mixture to a boil.

Step 12

Slowly add the remaining cup of cream so mixture continues to boil.

Step 13

Cook to softball or 238 degrees, stirring constantly.

Step 14

Add butter and vanilla and cook to 248 degrees (firm ball - 2 or 3 drops added to cold water can be formed into a firm ball)

Step 15

Pour hot caramel onto a buttered cookie sheet if making caramel nut rolls. (For chocolate-dipped caramels, pour into a buttered bread pan or until caramel layer is about 1-inch thick). DO NOT Scrape the pan. just let the syrup drip from the pan. Scraping the caramel out of the cooking pot and onto the cookie sheet will cause the caramel to "sugar" and will ruin the batch.

Step 16

Have slab ready, cold and damp.

Step 17

Put sugar, cream, corn syrup, salt, and butter in a heavy pan.

Step 18

Bring to boil and wash sides of pan down with wet pastry brush.

Step 19

Cook to 228°-229° F.

Step 20

Pour on cold, damp slab (or use a cold, damp 9x13-inch glass pan) and allow to cool until it is neither warm nor cold.

Step 21

Stir until the fondant becomes kneadable.

Step 22

Knead in flavoring and/or coloring as desired.