DOES ANYONE HAVE A CARMEL RECIPE?

Hi Kim - The following is a Martha Stewart recipe. I haven't used it yet, but I want to make it sometime as a sauce for ice cream. I'm sure it would be perfect for dipping the marshmallows in, because it sounds like a thick sauce. Please see bottom of recipe for my suggestions for substitutions (how many of us have "vanilla beans" in the house?!).
Vanilla Caramel Bourbon Sauce
2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon bourbon
1. Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a 2-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Without stirring, cook mixture until dark amber in color, swirling the pan carefully while cooking, about 20 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly add cream, stirring with a wooden spoon. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pan, and add the pod. Add lemon juice, butter, and bourbon. Stir to combine.
3. Cover, and store, refrigerated, up to 1 week. Bring sauce to room temperature, or warm over low heat, before using.
TIPS: The reason for swirling the sauce, not stirring, at the beginning, is to prevent scorching of the sugar crystals. This is a very important step - DO NOT STIR!
I would subsitute 1/2 to 1 tsp. vanilla extract for the vanilla bean.
If you don't want to use bourbon, substitute 1/2 to 1 tsp. (to taste) rum extract.
If you want a lighter sauce, only cook for 15 minutes, not 20 minutes, until sauce is the desired colour - this recipe make a very dark-looking sauce.
Good luck!

Here's another recipe that my family particularly likes. You'll need a candy thermometer, however.
Butter Caramels
2 cups sugar
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup sweet cream butter
In heavy 4 qt. saucepan combine sugar, 1 c. half and half, corn syrup and butter. Cook over med. heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil (7 to 8 min.). Add remaining 1 c. half and half; continue cooking, stirring often, until candy thermometer reaches 240 to 242 degrees. Pour into greased 8" square. pan. Cover; refrigerate 1 to 1 l/2 hr. to cool. Cut into pieces. Cover, store refrigerated
*Don

Reraising for Mae.
Mae, I've been using 243 lately. At 242 degrees, the caramel wasn't holding its shape when it was cooled and cut.

Once made, can this caramel be melted again to coat apples? becca

I think so. I think once I had to warm some up to make it semi-pourable for candy. Can't be sure though. Maybe I heated something else. Sorry I don't have a very good response, but I have some leftover caramel sitting on my microwave. If I remember tomorrow, I clean out the container by remelting it until it's fairly warm and let you know how it works out.

I did scoop out leftover caramel to reheat. You know what happened? I put the cup in the microwave to heat it up, and I forgot about it. My husband must have found it the next morning and threw it away.
But I think just as long as you reheat homemade caramel, JUST until melted (check and stir along the way), when it cools it will probably be the same consistency as before.
My husband wanted caramel sauce on his ice-cream about three weeks ago. He told me to melt some Bulls Eyes from Geotze. I told him it wouldn't work because of all the additives. Well it didn't. The more I tried to melt it, it just solidified into a rock. And I was really careful to constantly check and stir to make sure it didn't get too hot.

reraising for kkeene.

Reraising for mchammond.

Reraising for TRexFamily.
Enjoy that KitchenAid mixer! I love mine!!