Chocolate Caramel Candies Food

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CANDY

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; grease foil with 2 teaspoons butter and set aside. , In a small saucepan, combine milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set. , For filling, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and milk; bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook and stir 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Add peanuts. Spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set. , For caramel layer, in a small heavy saucepan, combine caramels and cream; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Cook and stir 4 minutes. Spread over filling. Refrigerate until set. , For icing, in another saucepan, combine chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight., Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cutting. Remove from pan and cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CARAMELS

Steps:

• Over medium heat, bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan; cook for 7 minutes, without stirring.
• Stir in condensed milk, and bring back to boil. Cook, stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reaches 245.
• Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into lightly greased 8x8 greased baking dish.
• Let stand 8 hours at room temperature.
• Cut caramel into 1/2 inch squares. If you like, you can shape into balls. (I skipped the shaping).
• Melt chocolate and shortening or paraffin in saucepan over medium heat. (I melted mine in the microwave for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds). Remove from heat.
• Dip balls into melted chocolate mixture; place on greased sheet. Chill 8 hours.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CANDY

Steps:

• Combine the first three ingredients in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
• Spread onto the bottom of a lightly greased 13-in.x9-in.x2-in. pan
• Refrigerate until set.
• For filling, melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add sugar and milk.
• Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; stir in the marshmallow creme, peanut butter, and vanilla.
• Add peanuts.
• Spread over the first layer.
• Refrigerate until set.
• Combine the caramels and cream in a saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
• Spread over the filling.
• Refrigerate until set.
• In another saucepan, combine chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
• Pour over caramel layer.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Cut into 1-in.squares.
• Store in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CARAMELS

Steps:

• Grease an 8 x 8 inch square pan.
• In a heavy 4 quart saucepan melt butter over medium heat; add brown sugar, corn syrup and milk. Stirring constantly, heat to 242 to 248 degrees F (116 to 120 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into prepared pan.
• When caramel has cooled and set, cut into 1 inch squares. Chill in refrigerator until firm.
• Melt chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl in the microwave. Stir until smooth.
• Dip caramel squares in chocolate and place on wax paper to cool.

CHOCOLATE CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 9x5-in. loaf pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup and chocolate to a boil over medium heat; stir until smooth. Add 1/2 cup cream; cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage). Add another 1/2 cup cream; return mixture to 234° (soft-ball stage). Add the remaining cream; cook to 245° (firm-ball stage)., Immediately pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). 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 CHOCOLATE CARAMELS

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, stir the sugar and corn syrup together until the sugar is completely moistened. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook, without stirring, until it turns a very light caramel color, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very slowly pour the cream into the hot sugar (be careful-it will bubble up) and stir to combine. Return the mixture to medium-low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer inserted in the pot reads 238 degrees F, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and butter until smooth. Pour the mixture into a greased 8-by-8 inch square baking dish. Allow to cool completely (at least 2 hours) before cutting into 1-inch squares.
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.
• From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home, by Jacques Torres.

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).

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CANDIES

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture is thickened and reaches 246°F when tested with a candy thermometer, stirring constantly.
• Pour into lightly buttered 8x4-inch loaf pan. (Do not scrape mixture from bottom of saucepan.) Let stand until set. Score candy into 48 squares with large sharp knife. Invert candy onto cool surface; turn over so marked side is up.
• Cut candy into squares. Wrap each caramel in waxed paper. Let stand in cool place overnight to set. Store at room temperature.

CARAMEL PECAN TURTLE CHOCOLATE CANDIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Grease a large cookie sheet well.
• Arrange 4 pecan halves in a cluster, flat side down on cookie sheet.
• Repeat with the rest of the pecan halves.
• Place one caramel on top of each cluster.
• Heat in oven until caramels are softened, about 4-6 minutes.
• Press caramels flat with the bottom of a buttered spatula (you may have to butter the spatula after every 2 or 3 caramels, or it will get very sticky).
• Remove caramels evenly onto waxed paper.
• Melt chocolate in double boiler, or in microwave on medium high, stirring every 25 seconds until just melted.
• Spoon over caramel-pecan clusters.
• Let cool a few hours.
• Makes 26.