Beer Pretzel Caramels 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.

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.

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.

BUTTER CARAMELS

Steps:

• Place sugar in a clean dry saucepan. Pour the water around the wall of the pan to avoid any splashing of sugar crystals onto the sides of the pan. Bring to a boil and continue cooking on high until amber colored. Turn heat off and with a wooden spoon, stir in the butter and then the cream. Pour into an 8 by 8-inch pan that has been lined with foil and well-buttered and let the caramel cool and set until firm. Once firm, cut into squares. Wrap in decorative clear plastic. Store at room temperature.