If you are using fresh pomegranates rather than store-bought juice, start by juicing the pomegranates. Place the arils in a vacuum sealed or ziplock bag, remove as much air as possible, and gently roll over them with a rolling pin to release their juice without crushing the seeds inside. Strain the crushed arils through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Set the juice aside for the next step.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, and orange peel. Place over medium heat and bring just to a light boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the mixture reduce until you have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of thick syrup. You’ll know it’s ready when dragging a spatula across the bottom leaves a trail that takes a moment to fill in, and the syrup coats the back of a spoon.

While the syrup is reducing, spray an 8x8-inch baking pan lightly with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, making sure the paper covers the sides for easy caramel removal later. This step will make clean-up much easier. I always recommend overhanging the parchment so you can lift out the caramels easily after cooling.

Once the syrup has thickened, use tongs to remove the orange peel and discard it. Add the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, room temperature cubed unsalted butter, and warm heavy cream to the pan. With the heat on medium-low, stir until everything is fully melted and the sugar has dissolved. Attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan and increase the heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil. Heat to your preferred caramel consistency: 245˚F to 250˚F for soft caramels or 255˚F to 260˚F for firmer caramels.

As soon as the caramel mixture reaches your target temperature, remove it from the heat. Immediately whisk in the vanilla extract and salt. Carefully pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan lined with parchment. For a more complex flavor, I like to use fleur de sel as my finishing salt. Place the pan in the refrigerator and let cool for about 1.5 hours or until set.

Once the caramels are set and chilled, lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Use a knife lightly greased with cooking spray to cut the slab into rectangles about 1/2" x 1 1/2" each. Wrap the individual caramels in wax paper for storage and easy sharing.