A typical holiday treat in Sweden is called “smörkola” (or just “kola”). Explaining it in English would result in something like this: chewy goeey caramel candy. Also similar to toffee, butterscotch and fudge. In case you don’t have glucose syrup you can replace it with ordinary syrup (golden syrup or corn syrup). Note: the recipe time does not include the time it takes to cool, cut and wrap. If you want to experiment there are a lot of opportunities to flavour this recipe, here are some ingredients you could try adding:
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Saffron
- Gingerbread spices / Chai spices
- Lemon or lime
- Coffee
- Chocolate
Here you can find this recipe in swedish.
Recipe: Swedish chewy gooey caramel candy (smörkola)
Note: the recipe time does not include the time it takes to cool, cut and wrap.
Ingredients
- 100 g butter
- 300 g sugar 300 ml
- 200 ml cream
- 50 ml golden syrup or corn syrup
- 50 ml glucose syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pan
- Add remaining ingredients
- Bring to a boil while stirring then check with a thermometer until it reaches 125°C (250°F)
- Place parchment paper in an oven pan with dimensions 20cm*30cm (~8*12 inches)
- Pour the liquid into the pan and let it cool
- Cut into desired size and shapes
- Wrap each piece in parchment paper
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Check out some of our other sweet recipes and more traditional Swedish recipes
You mention that if you don’t have glucose syrup, you can replace it with ordinary syrup. I’m afraid that I don’t know what “ordinary syrup” is. Is it high fructose corn syrup?
Hi Barbara,
I think corn syrup or golden syrup is closest to the syrup (ljus sirap) we have in Sweden for baking sweet stuff. Is it something you can buy where you are at?
Kalle, Thank you for giving me the names golden syrup and ljus sirap. I googled “ljus sirap” and found suggestions to use Lyles Golden Syrup (1st choice) or maple syrup if in small amounts (because of maple flavor), and to use corn syrup as a last resort (too thin and different flavor). So, I’m off to look for ljus sirup at the Scandinavian Store within walking distance and, maybe, on to the “regular” store to look for Lyles.
Thanks again for your help. I’m anxious to try smorkola; maybe it’ll be like the caramels that my mom used to make.
Thanks for asking so I could update the recipe with ingredients that is available in the US!
I think they sell ljus sirap at IKEA also in case you have a store nearby.
Good luck and hope it will trigger some good memories 🙂
A more common Christmas candy that your mom might have made is “knäck”. https://www.landleyskok.se/recept/julens-godaste-knack.html/
Thank you for telling me about knack, too. I’ll have to do some research in my kitchen to see which recipes remind me most of the Swedish Caramels that I remember. I did find ljus sirap AND Lyle’s Golden Syrup at my little local Scandinavian Shop ( I live in the Scandinavian neighborhood in Seattle). There is an IKEA, too, but much further away from my neighborhood. Thanks again, for helping me get started on my search.
You’re welcome! If you are curious on other Swedish recipes then here are the ones I have on the blog:
https://ingmar.app/blog/tag/swedish/
If you are interested in another dish then let me know and I can create a recipe for it 🙂
Thanks again!