Chocolate-Covered Caramels
By Sam BlockPublished on February 4, 2021
Time
55 minutes, plus 1 hour cooling, 1 hour chilling and 1 hour firming
Yield
Makes 64 caramels
Ingredients
Before You Begin
When taking the temperature of the caramel in steps 3 and 4, remove the saucepan from the heat and tilt to one side. Use your thermometer to stir the caramel back and forth to equalize hot and cool spots and make sure you are getting an accurate reading. This recipe yields enough tempered chocolate to easily dip all the caramels; leftover chocolate can be transferred to small airtight container and stored at room temperature for another use.
Instructions
- Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out seeds; reserve spent vanilla bean for another use. Bring vanilla bean seeds, cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Off heat, let steep for 10 minutes.
- Make parchment sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of parchment paper so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of parchment in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra parchment hanging over edges of pan. Push parchment into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing parchment flush to pan. Grease parchment; set aside.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until mixture is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, swirling saucepan occasionally, until amber, 2 to 5 minutes. (Caramel should register 350 degrees.)
- Off heat, carefully stir in cream mixture (it will bubble and steam). Return saucepan to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until caramel reaches 248 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Carefully transfer caramel to prepared pan. Using greased rubber spatula, smooth surface of caramel, and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until caramel is completely solid and cold to touch, about 1 hour.
- Using parchment overhang, lift caramel from pan and transfer to lightly greased cutting board; discard parchment. Using greased chef's knife, cut caramel into 1-inch-wide strips, then cut strips crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces.
- Microwave finely chopped chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring often, until about two-thirds melted, 2 to 4 minutes. (Melted chocolate should not be much warmer than body temperature; check by holding bowl in palm of your hand.) Add grated chocolate and stir until smooth, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to finish melting if necessary.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place 1 caramel in chocolate and, using 2 forks, gently flip to coat all sides. Lift caramel out of chocolate with fork. Tap fork against edge of bowl and then wipe underside of fork on edge of bowl to remove excess chocolate from bottom of caramel. Use second fork to slide caramel onto prepared sheet and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Repeat with remaining caramels, returning chocolate to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time if it becomes too firm. Let caramels sit until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour. Serve. (Caramels can be stored in airtight container, separated by sheets of parchment, at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)
Time
55 minutes, plus 1 hour cooling, 1 hour chilling and 1 hour firmingYield
Makes 64 caramelsIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We wanted to crack the caramel code at home and develop our own chewy caramels rounded with aromatic vanilla notes. We started by steeping the heavy cream with a vanilla bean and sea salt for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, we cooked our caramel. We found corn syrup to be key here, as it helped prevent sugar crystals from developing that could later mar the texture of the caramels. We cooked our sugar to 350 degrees and stirred in the vanilla-amped cream mixture until it climbed back to 248 degrees—the exact temperature for caramels that had chew and held their shape but didn't rip our teeth out. After the caramel firmed up, we cut it, dunked the squares in dark chocolate (a pleasantly bitter foil to the sweet caramel), and sprinkled on additional sea salt.
Before You Begin
When taking the temperature of the caramel in steps 3 and 4, remove the saucepan from the heat and tilt to one side. Use your thermometer to stir the caramel back and forth to equalize hot and cool spots and make sure you are getting an accurate reading. This recipe yields enough tempered chocolate to easily dip all the caramels; leftover chocolate can be transferred to small airtight container and stored at room temperature for another use.
Instructions
- Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Using tip of paring knife, scrape out seeds; reserve spent vanilla bean for another use. Bring vanilla bean seeds, cream, butter, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Off heat, let steep for 10 minutes.
- Make parchment sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of parchment paper so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of parchment in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra parchment hanging over edges of pan. Push parchment into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing parchment flush to pan. Grease parchment; set aside.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until mixture is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, swirling saucepan occasionally, until amber, 2 to 5 minutes. (Caramel should register 350 degrees.)
- Off heat, carefully stir in cream mixture (it will bubble and steam). Return saucepan to medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until caramel reaches 248 degrees, about 5 minutes.
- Carefully transfer caramel to prepared pan. Using greased rubber spatula, smooth surface of caramel, and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Transfer to refrigerator and chill until caramel is completely solid and cold to touch, about 1 hour.
- Using parchment overhang, lift caramel from pan and transfer to lightly greased cutting board; discard parchment. Using greased chef's knife, cut caramel into 1-inch-wide strips, then cut strips crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces.
- Microwave finely chopped chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring often, until about two-thirds melted, 2 to 4 minutes. (Melted chocolate should not be much warmer than body temperature; check by holding bowl in palm of your hand.) Add grated chocolate and stir until smooth, returning to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to finish melting if necessary.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place 1 caramel in chocolate and, using 2 forks, gently flip to coat all sides. Lift caramel out of chocolate with fork. Tap fork against edge of bowl and then wipe underside of fork on edge of bowl to remove excess chocolate from bottom of caramel. Use second fork to slide caramel onto prepared sheet and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Repeat with remaining caramels, returning chocolate to microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time if it becomes too firm. Let caramels sit until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour. Serve. (Caramels can be stored in airtight container, separated by sheets of parchment, at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)
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