Caramel, butterscotch, and toffee are all popular flavors, used on everything from popcorn and ice cream to candy apples. While these three flavors are similar, there are specific distinctions among them. These come from both the ingredients and the cooking methods used, creating distinct foods with subtly different flavors.

Caramel

Caramel is made with sugar, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla. The sugar is heated until it melts and browns, developing a much more complex flavor than sugar's simple sweetness. This is because the actual molecules of the sugar are breaking apart into smaller components with a wide range of flavors, including fruity, buttery, nutty, and sour notes. When the sugar is browned enough, the cream, butter, and vanilla are added to stop it from heating any further and create rich, creamy flavors to the mix. The still-warm caramel can be set out to cool on its own or added to other dishes like popcorn.

Butterscotch

Butterscotch is made in a similar way to caramel, but instead of starting with plain, simple white sugar, this recipe uses brown sugar. Brown sugar is a more complex and moist ingredient, which changes the flavor of the finished product. While soft butterscotch is made today, which can be combined with other dishes similar to caramel, it was originally only made in hard candy form, which was difficult to cut or break evenly. To make it easier to break apart, the sheet of candy was scored or "scotched," giving it its name.

Toffee

Toffee is what you get when you cook butterscotch as long as possible without burning it. It has the most developed flavors and the hardest texture and removes most of the moisture, so the remaining candy is 99% sugar.

For mouthwatering caramel and other flavored popcorn options, visit Cracker Box Caramel Pop in Lander, WY. Their delicious and affordable caramel popcorn is based on a trusted 60-year-old recipe, making it one of the tastiest treats in Fremont County. Visit them online or call (307) 335-7020 to learn about some of their local flavors.