Chocolate Caramel Chews Food

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.

CHOCOLATE COVERED SALTED CARAMEL PEANUT BACON CHEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• While the Dulce De Leche Caramel is boiling, lay out the bacon on a half sheet pan and bake for approximately 15 minutes. While the bacon is cooking, on another half sheet pan, bake the peanuts for 15 minutes.
• Allow the bacon to cool and chop into small pieces and set aside. Allow the peanuts to cool and then roughly chop them.
• Mix the dulce de leche caramel, bacon, peanuts and salt together in a bowl. Using a small melon scooper, scoop balls of the caramel mixture and place on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper.
• Roll out a 1/8-inch-thick sheet of fondant and cover the caramel balls with the fondant. On a sheet pan lined with wax paper, spread a thin amount of melted chocolate in a circle just large enough to place the caramel balls on. Place the fondant covered caramel balls on the melted chocolate and place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator. Then dip the fondant covered caramels in the melted chocolate. Return them to the refrigerator to cool. Serve.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Remove the label from the can of sweetened condensed milk. Place the can in a pot of boiling water and boil for 2 hours. Let the can cool completely before handling. To expedite the cooling process use an ice bath, but make sure the can has completely cooled before handling.

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 CHEWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Cookie Base: In a heavy, medium saucepan over low heat, warm chocolate and butter, stirring often, just until melted and smooth. Do not heat mixture any more than necessary. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and salt; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in vanilla and eggs. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, blending well after each addition. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack 1 hour.
• Caramel Topping: In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except vanilla. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 230°F on a candy thermometer or forms a 2-inch wide thread when dropped from a spoon (should take about 25 minutes). Immediately remove from heat; stir in vanilla and nuts. Spread hot caramel evenly over cookie base. Let stand until cool.
• Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and cream. Warm over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Drizzle over caramel in a lacy pattern. Or pour melted chocolate into a pastry bag and pipe over caramel.
• Let chocolate set before cutting into 54 (about 1x2-inch) bars, cutting 9 strips one way and 6 strips the other way. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days or freeze for longer storage.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CASHEW CHEWIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
• In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy and then beat in egg.
• Stir in flour and oats and blend well.
• Press into prepared pan.
• Bake for 15- 18 minutes until light brown.
• In a medium saucepan combine caramels and half and half and cook over low heat until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally.
• Pour caramel mixture over baked crust.
• Sprinkle with cashews and chocolate.
• Bake an additional 8- 10 minutes or until chocolate is softened and caramel begins to bubble around edges of pan.
• Cool completely and refrigerate to set chocolate.
• Cut into bars.