Caramel Candy

I saw a recipe recently for Caramel Candy and as usual, I didn't have the required ingredients. So, I decided to invent my own with the ingredients I had on hand and it is delicious.

Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 stick of butter (½ cup)
1 cup of dark molasses*
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:
Melt all ingredients together in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir every couple of minutes until it reaches a temperature of 235°F to 240°F. Be careful that you don't let it scorch.

Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and allow it to cool at room temperature for an hour. Score the candy into bite size piece that you can break apart when it's completely cooled. Sprinkle Sea, or Kosher, salt on top after you score the candy and you'll have an awesome salty/sweet treat.

*Note:  Here in Costa Rica, I make my own molasses with unrefined brown sugar cakes called "Tapa de Dulce". This is crude sugar cane juice that is cooked down until it caramelizes. Then it's poured into wooden molds and left to cool and setup into brown sugar cakes. I melt the "Tapa de Dulce" with an equal part of water and let it simmer until it reached the consistency of syrup, about 225°F on a candy thermometer.