Posts tagged ‘salt’
Making Salt Caramels
Making Caramels
I sit here stirring and stirring, which is something you have to do for the most truly amazing caramels I’ve ever tasted. These caramels are well worth the hour and a half to make them, the 6-8 hours for them to cool and set, and the hour plus to cut and wrap them in parchment for delivery.
As a health counselor, you would think I would advise against sugary treats. The reality is that everything is okay in moderation. From an Ayurvedic perspective, I actually am a little more balanced if I include a little sugar in my diet. This is not the same for everyone, and I usually limit myself to natural sugars, but this time of year calls for a little something special. It makes me happy to bake and make treats, so I do!
I amended the following recipe to include a tablespoon of sea salt, which is all the rage and gives a little balance to the sweetness of the candy. When they are finished and slightly set, I will sprinkle them with a little rosemary, ginger or Portuguese sea salt for fun.
Last year, I made a half-batch with agave instead of corn syrup. It took about 20 minutes to get to 232 instead of 1 ½ hours. Not sure if that’s because of the smaller batch or the change in ingredients, but they were also delicious.
If you decide to try these, you truly do need to stir almost constantly to keep the candy from browning on the bottom of the pan. You will also need a candy thermometer and a heavy 6- to 8-quart stockpot. I’ve amended the recipe to Colorado Springs’s altitude, so if you are trying this at lower altitudes, you will need to cook it to a higher temperature, about 8 degrees more at sea level. Also, 232 degrees is hot and caramel is sticky, so please, please be very careful with this recipe! Otherwise, enjoy and have a merry holiday.
Shirley’s Wonderful Caramels
Reprinted from Candymaking– an HP book
These taste so good, everyone will ask for this recipe. If you don’t happen to have a 6-quart pan, cut the recipe in half and pour the caramels into a 9” square pan.
- 2 c. light corn syrup
- 1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ c. milk
- 1 c. whipping cream
- 1 c. butter
- 4 c. sugar
- 2 t. vanilla
- 2 c. nuts (optional)
Butter a 9”x13” baking pan; set aside. In a heavy 6-quart Dutch oven, combine corn syrup, condensed milk, milk, cream, butter and sugar. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush.
Clip on a candy thermometer. Cook, stirring constantly, to 232 degrees F, if in Denver/Colorado Springs (240 degrees F at sea level). This part takes approximately 1 ½ hours.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and nuts (if using). Pour without scraping the pan into prepared baking pan. Allow to stand at room temperature overnight. Cut into about 1” squares. Wrap in waxed paper.
Makes 117 pieces.
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