Recipe: Teryl's Caramels (OH...MY...GOSH!!)

Audurogn, I don't know if this the help you are looking for or if these are cooked to hard crack stage, but I DO KNOW they are the most wonderful caramels I have ever tasted. My sister-in-law's sister brought these to Christmas dinner last year and we foundered ourselves on them.

Teryl's Caramels

1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
dash of salt
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 (15 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter in 3 qt. heavy pan. Add sugar and salt. Stir. Blend in Karo syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Stir constantly over medium heat to 245 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir in vanilla and pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to cool. Chill and cut into squares. Wrap squares in squares of waxed paper and twist ends of paper to close.

Variation: You may add 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate after the sweetened condensed milk if desired, but why gild the lily?