Creamy Soft Caramels Food

CARAMELS I

Steps:

• Butter a 9x13 inch dish.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1 cup cream and butter. Bring to a boil, stirring often, then stir in remaining 1 cup cream. Heat, without stirring, to 242 degrees F (116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and pour into prepared dish. Refrigerate.
• When cool, return candies to room temperature then cut into 1 inch squares and wrap in waxed paper.

CREAMY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and remaining butter; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil slowly for 4 minutes without stirring., Remove from the heat; stir in milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla., Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

BETTY CROCKER CARAMELS

Steps:

• Grease bottom and sides of square baking dish, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches, with butter.
• Heat all ingredients to boiling in heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Cook about 35 minutes, stirring frequently, to just under (about 3 degrees)soft ball on a candy thermometer.
• For chewier caramels, cook until soft ball.
• Immediately pour/spread in baking dish.
• Cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Cut into 8 X 8 rows (or desired size), using kitchen scissors or sharp knife.
• Wrap individually in waxed paper or plastic wrap.
• Store wrapped candies in airtight container at room temperature.

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.

HOW TO MAKE SALTED CARAMELS

Steps:

• Use softened unsalted butter to grease an 8x8 pan. Cut two strips of parchment paper to fit the pan, leaving an overhang on each side and buttering each piece. Set aside. Combine sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, salted butter, and fine sea salt in a 3-quart saucepan. Stirring frequently, cook on medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts to boil. Clip on a candy thermometer. Continue cooking and stirring until the temperature reaches 245ºF. (This will take about 30 minutes.) Lower the heat as needed to prevent bubbling over. As soon as the mixture reaches 245ºF, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste (see note). Immediately pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the fleur de sel over the top. Let the caramels set for at least two hours and up to overnight. Lift the caramel out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into pieces using kitchen shears. Wrap individual caramels in pieces of waxed paper. Store at room temperature. Note: To make chocolate caramels, omit the vanilla bean paste. Stir together 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder. Add this mixture plus 3 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate in place of the vanilla bean paste.

CREAMY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan.
• Add sugar and salt.
• Blend in corn syrup and milk, stirring constantly.
• Cook and stir over medium heat to 245 degrees on candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into greased 9 inch square pan.
• Cool thoroughly.
• Cut into small squares and wrap in waxed paper.

CREAMY SOFT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugars, salt and remaining butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in corn syrup; return to a boil. Remove from the heat; slowly stir in milk. , Cook and stir over medium-low heat until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Cool. Using foil, lift candy out of pan; cut into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper.

CREAMY CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. This is the only time you can stir the sugar. If you stir it while it's cooking, it turns to rock candy. Place the saucepan over medium to low heat until the sugars start to dissolve, 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the sugar starts to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not stir while this is happening. You've got to watch the pot, because it goes from caramel to burnt really quickly. And be careful, the mixture is extremely hot!
• Turn off the heat and stand back to avoid splattering. Slowly add the cream. Don't panic - the cream will bubble violently, and the caramel will solidify. Just give it more time to liquefy again-trust me!
• Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.

SOFT CHEWY CREAM CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line an 8x8 pan with non-stick foil. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the sugar, cream and corn syrup. Mix and bring to a gentle boil and stir until the sugar is melted.
• Insert a candy thermometer and continue boiling over medium-low heat until the candy reaches 247-248 degrees. Stir occasionally. If you like your caramel slightly firmer, let cook to 250 degrees. This can take 45 minutes to an hour, so be patient.
• Remove from the heat, add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan.
• Allow caramel to cool, then lift from the pan using the foil as a sling. Place on a cutting board and slice into 1-inch squares. Wrap in wax paper.
• These freeze well.

LAURA KURELLA

Steps:

• 1 Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper then spray with cooking spray and set aside. 2 In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and butter. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and then allow to boil for 4 minutes without stirring. 3 Remove from heat; stir in milk, reduce heat to medium-low, then insert a candy thermometer and allow to simmer until mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. 4 Remove from heat; stir in vanilla (or other flavoring) then pour into prepared pan and chill until firm, about an hour. 5 Use parchment paper to lift candy out of pan then cut into desired size pieces. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twisting ends, if desired.