Sea Salt Caramels

Line an 9x12 inch pan with parchment paper and generously grease with the extra butter.

Measure all ingredients and set aside.

In a heavy pot fitted with a candy thermometer on the side, melt butter over medium heat. Or, melted, remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, salt, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk using a rubber spatula so you can scrape the sides of your pot. Return to heat and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the caramel to a temperature of 245°F. (236 degrees Utah) Make sure to carefully monitor the temperature as it cooks; overcooking the caramel will make it too hard, undercooking will make it too soft.

When you have reached the correct temperature, immediately remove mixture from the heat. Stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture into the prepared 11x7 pan and spread evenly. Top the caramel by sprinkling coarse sea salt over the top of the candy before it firms. Let cool for several hours.

While the caramel cools, cut parchment or waxed paper into rectangles for wrapping.

Once cool, holding the sides of the parchment lining the pan, lift the sheet of caramel out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the caramel into small rectangular pieces. Wrap with rectangles of parchment or waxed paper.