Vanilla Caramels

1 cup sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 cup whipping cream
1 teas. vanilla

Put all ingredients except vanilla into a heavy saucepan. Boil, stirring, until it reaches 245 degrees on candy thermometer.

Remove from heat, beat in vanilla and pour into a well-buttered 8 or 9 inch square pan. When cool and firm, cut into squares and wrap in wax paper.

Vanilla Fantasy Fudge

1/2 cup Butter
2 1/2 cup Sugar
5 oz. Evaporated Milk
12 oz. White Chips
6-7 oz. Marshmallow Creme/Fluff (may subsitute 2 cups mini-marshmallows)
1 cup Almonds (chopped) -or- 4 oz. bag [optional item]
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Line a 9" x 9" pan with aluminum foil and set aside. Place white chips, vanilla, almonds (optional) and marshmallow cream into a 3-quart saucepan (or Pyrex bowl) and set aside. Heat milk at Medium setting until warm then add sugar. Bring to a rolling boil (Medium-High), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

Continue to boil for [8] full minutes -or- if using a candy thermometer continue boiling until the boiling temperature reaches 235°F but do not exceed 9 minutes rolling boiling total. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until dissolved (but no more than 30 seconds).

Pour hot mixture over white chips, vanilla, and marshmallow cream without scraping the sides of the hot saucepan. Mix until the chips are melted. Mix thoroughly and cast into prepared pan. Cool at room temperature. Chill in refrigerator prior to cutting. Remove from pan, remove foil, cut into squares.

2 tbsps butter
3 cups sugar
1 cup light cream 
1/4 cup light Karo syrup 
1/2 tsp. salt 
1/2 cup milk
2 tsps vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds or pecans.

Combine all ingredients except vanilla and nuts in saucepan. Cook over medium heat. stirring constantly to soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Cool to lukewarm. Beat until thickened and mixture loses gloss. Fold in nuts. Quickly spread into buttered 8" square pan. Cut when cooled.

Crumbly Fudge Recipe

1 can condensed milk (+/- 392g)
500g Sugar
120ml water
4tbsp butter
2tsp Vanilla essence

Mix sugar, water, butter and condensed milk together in a somewhat tall pot (the mixture rises quickly) and bring to a gentle boil. While the fudge is boiling, stir continously with a wooden spoon for about half an hour, to ensure no sugar burns to the bottom of the pot. Nearing the half-hour mark, the fudge should then have become greatly reduced in quantity, thick, sticky, and most importantly, should have the typical darker "brown" colour of fudge (but dark muddy brown means it's turned into toffee). It's better to leave it on longer if unsure, than to take it off the boil prematurely. Once it looks ready, take off the boil, add the Vanilla Essence, and beat thoroughly for a minute, then pour mixture into a greased baking tray and allow to cool.

Cut into squares once cooled properly (could take up to 6 hours). The result should be a fudge that is solid, but crumbly around the edges when you cut it (as opposed to the soft and chewy Nougat variety). It should also have a grainy texture. It may take a few attempts to perfect this recipe in a way you enjoy it the most; also note that if your mixture turns into toffee or fails completely, it's best to try again another day with new ingredients as failures often happen for no discernable reason.