Absolutely Divine Caramels Food

CARAMELS

Steps:

• Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, condensed milk, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture reaches 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Take from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into a 6-inch square baking pan lined with parchment and allow to cool and set about 3 hours.
• Take the caramel from the pan and, using a very sharp knife gently sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cut the caramels into squares and wrap in wax paper or candy wrappers (see Cook's Note). Store in a cool dry place.

ABSOLUTELY DIVINE CARAMELS

Steps:

• Butter your pan. Mix the cream and the milk together in bowl. Pour about half of this to a large heavy pan (I use my pressure cooker). Add all the other ingredients except the vanilla. Cook over a medium-high to high heat, stir the mixture constantly. When mixture turns a light caramel color, begin to add the remainder of the cream very slowly in a thin stream (it's important that the caramel not stop boiling at this point). Cook to a firm, soft ball. (240 - 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer). If you use the cold water test (drop a stream of caramel from your wooden spoon into a glass of ice water, pick up the caramel from the bottom of the glass and see if you can roll it into a ball. If you can, bite into and see if is firm enough to your taste). Start testing the caramel when the bubbles change from the lighter frothy type to the heavy lava-type bubbles. When the caramel has reached the desired stage, add the vanilla extract and stir in vigorously. Pour the caramel into the pan and cool. Remove from the pan, and cut into 1" wide strips. Cut across the strips again so you have about 1" square caramels and wrap each in a 4" square of wax paper. cook's notes There is a lot of time involved in this from beginning to end, but it's not hard to do, and I've never been disappointed. People will be very impressed when you share them. If you've never made caramels before you may want to read this. Choosing a pot: you will want to use one that is heavy, and has very tall sides, the caramel boils up to about 3 times it's actual volume during the first part of the cooking process, you'll also want a wooden spoon with a very long handle, or your hand and arm will feel like they are being steam cleaned. Start when you can plan on having enough time to complete the cooking without distraction, I usually choose a time when all my children are settled down for the night. Since you will be sitting on the counter or standing by the stove stirring for a while, bring a book to read, the cordless telephone, and something to drink, also bring a glass of ice water if you are going to test the caramel with out a candy thermometer. If after all is said and done, and you feel the caramel is too soft you can return it to the pan and cook again. I'd probably pour it into jars and warm it up for a treat on ice-cream.

CARAMEL CANDIES

Steps:

• Grease an 8 by 4-inch (20 by 10 cm) loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling so that the paper comes up all the sides and has about a 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on each side. Grease the parchment paper.
• In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan (the caramel will bubble up quite a bit once it starts cooking, so it's important to have a deep pan) over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt, stirring very gently to combine while trying to avoid getting any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Cover and bring to a boil, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is clear, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Uncover and cook until the sugar has turned light golden and reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until deep golden (340ºF or 170ºC), about 4 to 5 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the heavy cream and butter (the cream will foam considerably, so be careful pouring it in).
• Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook until the caramel reaches the desired stage, stirring frequently, 4 to 7 minutes. For soft, melt-in-your mouth caramels, cook until 248ºF (120ºC), and for firmer caramels with a bit more chew, cook until 252ºF (122ºC). Stir in the vanilla off the heat. Let the caramel sit for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bubbles subside.
• Carefully pour the caramel into the prepared pan and gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Let the caramel cool completely, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.
• Using the parchment overhang, lift the caramel out of the pan. Peel away the parchment paper and cut the caramel in half lengthwise, then cut each half into twelve 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, for 24 rectangular pieces. Candies can be left as rectangles, or cut again into squares, for a total of 48 pieces. Individually wrap each caramel in wax paper or cellophane, twisting the ends of the paper closed. The wrapped caramels can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.