Old Fashion Home Made Caramels

1 Cup Butter or Margarine
2 1/4 Cups firmly packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

Line small cookie sheet with parchment paper. In heavy 3 quart saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar; mix well. Stir in corn syrup; cook over medium-low heat, until sugar dissolves and mixture is well blended. Remove pan from heat; stir in sweetened condensed milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer reaches 228-230* for soft centers for dipping candies or 235* for regular caramels. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Pour hot mixture into prepared pan. Cool to room temperature. When candy has set, carefully remove from pan and cut into 1/2 squares with sharp thin knife. This recipe should yield about 100 pieces.

TO DIP: 

Place cut caramels onto a parchment covered cookie sheet so that they do not touch each other and place sheet into freezer. Allow caramels 30 minutes or longer to freeze. You can then dip them quickly into melted chocolate and set them out again onto wax or parchment paper to set again.
Variation note: After butter has melted, you can then add unsweetened cocoa powder, as much or as little as you like, and continue directions as listed ahove.

(Submitted by J. Eden)