Fleur de Sel (Sea Salt) Caramels with Vanilla Bean

 

Sea salt and vanilla beans add an elegant touch to homemade caramel candies.

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean pod, split and scraped
• 1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup Lyle's golden syrup (or light corn syrup)
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly butter parchment.
2. Bring cream, butter, vanilla, vanilla beans, pods, and sea salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.
4. Remove pods and carefully stir cream mixture into the caramel (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 246-248 on thermometer. 246 will give you a softer caramel that will stretch when you bite it but is easily squished or flattened, especially in a warm house. 248 will give you a firmer, still chewy caramel. Pour into baking pan and cool 30 minutes. Sprinkle another pinch or two of salt over the top of the caramel for a nice salty crunch and let sit until completely cooled. Cut into 1-inch pieces (I buttered a pizza cutter), and then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.

Notes

Yields: 64 candies

Peanut Butter Fudge

 

Peanut Butter Fudge

 

Yield: 64 1-inch pieces

Ingredients

• 8 oz. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 16 oz. confectioners' sugar

Directions

• Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Lightly grease with butter. Combine the butter and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir, and microwave on full power for 2 minutes more.
• Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to the bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly combined. The mixture will become difficult to stir and lose its sheen.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Place an additional piece of parchment directly on the surface of the fudge. Refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours. Use a large knife to cut into 1-inch pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Homemade Caramels

Homemade Caramels

Ingredients:2 pounds brown sugar
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 pound (4 sticks) butter
16 ounces light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons Vanilla

Directions:

First, grease 1 or 2 9x13 pans with butter. (I only used one, but it really depends on how big you want your caramels. For this recipe, you could easily use two 9x13 pams.) In large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar. Once sugar is dissolved, add in corn syrup. Next, slowly add in sweetened condensed milk, stirring the whole time. Heat mixture to boiling and until a candy thermometer reads about 245 degrees. Continue to stir constantly so the bottom doesn't get scorched. You'll be stirring for awhile, so be prepared. Once the mixture is starting to thicken up, and the temperature is around 245 degrees you're ready to spread it in a pan and let it cool on counter for at least 2 hours. After 2 hours, if caramel is completely cool, remove it from the pan and slice into small pieces. You can use wax paper to wrap them up individually, just wrap a small piece around the caramel piece and twist the ends.

White Chocolate Pretzel Fudge

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 15 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped pretzels

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain.
2. In the top of a double boiler (or just a glass bowl set over a pot) over lightly simmering water, heat white chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth.
3. Stir the melted white chocolate and pretzels into the cream cheese mixture.
4. Spread into a parchment lined 8x8 baking dish and chill for 1 hour.
5. Cut into 1-inch squares

Salted Butter Caramel sauce

Salted Butter Caramel Sauce







Source: Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp. salted butter (in tbsp.-sized slices)
• 1/2 cup + two tbsp. heavy cream, at room temperature

Directions:

1. Melt the sugar over medium to medium high heat in a larger pot than you think you’ll need, at least 2-3 qts. As the sugar heats, whisk or stir to ensure that it heats evenly.
2. Cook the sugar until it liquifies to a nice, dark copper color. Add the butter all at once and stir it in. Then, pour in the heavy cream (The sauce will foam up quite a bit when you add it; this is why you want the larger pot.). Remove the pot immediately from heat and whisk it until you get a smooth sauce.Note: You use it right away or pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. When you take it out of the fridge, it will be thicker, but 60 seconds in the microwave brings it right back to its original consistency