Chocolate Caramel Treasures Food

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TREASURES

Steps:

• Cookies: Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla.
• Sift in flour, cocoa and salt and beat on low speed until dough forms.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes or until firm.
• Roll dough into 1 T balls, coat with egg white, and roll in nuts.
• Place 1 1/2" apart on greased cookie sheets.
• Flatten centers of cookies with thumb, leaving a depression.
• Bake at 350°, 10-12 minutes or until slightly puffed but centers are still soft.
• Leave cookies on cookie sheet and immediately depress centers of cookies again (I use a wooden spoon handle end).
• Move to wire racks and cool.
• Filling: Microwave caramels and cream until melted and smooth.
• Use a spoon and fill the centers of partially cooled cookies and then cool completely.
• Chocolate Drizzle: Microwave chocolate until melted and place in resealable plastic bag.
• Make a small cut in one corner and drizzle a narrow bead of chocolate over the cookies.
• Chocolate will set in 30 minutes.

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 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.

CARAMEL PECAN TREASURES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool., Place a half-caramel on each cookie. Melt the chocolate chips and shortening; drizzle over cookies. Sprinkle with pecans. Let stand until firm.

CHOCOLATE MINT TREASURES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add one egg and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and beat well.
• Gradually add 1 cup flour, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoons salt, mixing well after each addition.
• Spread mixture into 9x13 dish.
• In a mixing bowl cream remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add remaining egg and remaining 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and beat well.
• Gradually add remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and remaining 1/8 teaspoons salt, mixing well after each addition.
• Gently spread over chocolate layer and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle chopped Andes mints over the top.
• Bake until chocolate begins to melt, about 1 additional minute.
• Spread melted chocolate over the top of the bars.
• Cool completely.
• Cut into 24 squares, and then cut squares into triangles.

CARAMEL PECAN TREASURES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl cream butter and brown sugar.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Combine the flour and baking powder,gradually add to the creamed mixture.
• Roll into 1 inch balls.
• Place 2 inches apart onto baking sheet,flatten slightly.
• Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Place one caramel on each cookie.
• Melt the chocolate chips and shortening.
• Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
• Sprinkle with the pecans.
• Let stand until firm.

CREAMY CARAMEL TREASURE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease or paper line 12 muffin cups.
• Place pecans in medium bowl, press brownies into pecans, coating well, place into prepared cups.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes or until edges are set, remove pan to wire rack, gently press 1 treasure into each brownie, cool completely, remove from pan.
• Microwave chocolate chips in small, heavy duty plastic bag on high power for 30 to 45 seconds;knead.
• Microwave at additional 10 to 20 second intervals, kneading until smooth, cut tiny corner from bag; squeeze to drizzle over brownies.