Beer Pretzel Caramels Recipe 455 Food

BEER AND PRETZEL CARAMELS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, oil and vanilla. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-in. foil-lined baking pan coated with cooking spray., Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Coarsely chop pretzels; set aside., In a large saucepan, bring beer to a boil; cook until reduced to 2/3 cup. Set aside to cool., Meanwhile, line a 9-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside., In a Dutch oven, combine the sugar, corn syrup, 2/3 cup cream, water, salt and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238°, about 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine reduced beer and remaining cream; slowly stir into sugar mixture., Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage), about 30 minutes., Remove from the heat. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan); sprinkle with candied pretzels and kosher salt. Let stand until firm, about 5 hours or overnight. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares using a buttered knife. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

BEER AND PRETZEL CARAMELS

Steps:

• Grease the bottom and sides of the baking sheet with the 1 teaspoon butter, and set it aside on a heatproof surface.
• Combine the cream, sugar, malt syrup, fine sea salt, and the 7 tablespoons butter in a large (6- to 8-quart) stockpot. Stir a couple of times with the heatproof spatula just to make sure there aren't any big clumps of dry sugar, and then bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium and insert the candy thermometer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 252 degrees F (hard ball stage), about 20 minutes. (Watch it closely: once it reaches 240 degrees F(soft ball stage), after about 15 minutes, you'll want to stay nearby and stir it more frequently as it tends to scorch on the bottom of the pot.) Remove the pot from the heat.
• Stir in the Beer Reduction, then the pretzels and coarse sea salt. Mix thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the pot several times to incorporated everything.
• Put on your oven mitts and carefully (seriously-please be careful!) pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out with the spatula, distributing the pretzel pieces as evenly as possible. Allow it to cool until it's firm to the touch, 1 to 2 hours.
• Run the tip of a sharp chef's knife around the edges of the baking sheet to loosen the caramel. Turn it out onto the lined cutting board, cut it into 1- by 1 1/2-inch pieces, and wrap them in the wax twisting papers.
• Store the caramels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks (let them come to room temperature before you eat them!).
• Beer Reduction: Pour the contents of 3 of the bottles into a large (6 to 8 quart) pot, and place it over high heat. Stir frequently to dissipate the carbonation and prevent the liquid from boiling over. Once the beer is at a rolling boil, slowly add another bottle and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil again. Repeat until all the beer is in the pot.
• Cook the beer over high heat, stirring constantly, until all the carbonation has dissipated and it's no longer in danger of boiling over, about 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the volume of the liquid is dramatically reduce (to about 1/2 cup) and the reduction has the consistency of real maple syrup (it will thicken to the consistency of fakey pancake syrup as it cools). Remove from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Store the reduction in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL-PECAN PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put the pecan halves on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake, shaking the sheet once halfway through, until lightly toasted, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool.
• Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the pretzels neatly on the baking sheet, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped caramel. Bake until the caramels soften (but are definitely not melting), 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently press a pecan half onto each caramel, just enough for the caramel to fill the pretzel. Set aside to cool completely.
• Remove the cooled pretzel/caramels from the baking sheet. Spoon 24 small dollops (1 1/2-teaspoon helpings) of the melted chocolate all over the baking sheet, then lightly drop a pretzel onto the middle of each dollop, making sure the pretzel is centered. Allow them to cool completely before serving (you can hasten this along in the fridge).

BEER CHEESE AND SOFT PRETZEL BITES

Steps:

• Make the soft pretzel bites: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a cooling rack covered with paper towels.
• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. (It may seem like a small amount of water for a large pot, but once you add baking soda it'll foam up.)
• While the water comes to a boil, place the dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each portion into a long rope. Cut the ropes into 1-inch pieces.
• When the water is boiling, add the baking soda and sugar. Cook the dough pieces, in batches, for 30 seconds. Drain on the paper towels.
• Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Dip the tops of the pretzels in the egg wash and sprinkle with salt. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until the pretzel bites are nicely browned, 9 to 10 minutes.
• For the beer cheese: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the beer until the mixture is smooth, then add the half-and-half. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and House Seasoning. Gradually add the cheese and stir until smooth. Season to taste. Serve the pretzel bites with the beer cheese.
• Stir together the garlic and onion powders, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

BEER & PRETZEL CARAMELS RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish. Set aside. Bring half of the beer to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 2 teaspoons, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining beer, brown sugar, corn syrup, cream and butter in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer registers 235°F, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in beer syrup and pretzels. Spread in the prepared dish and chill until firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cut into pieces.

SOFT BEER PRETZELS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat beer to 110°-115°; remove from heat. Stir in yeast until dissolved. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 8 balls. Roll each into a 24-in. rope. Curve ends of each rope to form a circle; twist ends once and lay over opposite side of circle, pinching ends to seal., In a Dutch oven, bring water and baking soda to a boil. Drop pretzels, 2 at a time, into boiling water. Cook 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain well on paper towels., Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt if desired. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool. , Freeze option: Freeze cooled pretzels in freezer containers. To use, thaw at room temperature or microwave each pretzel on high until heated through, 20-30 seconds.