Best Caramels Ever!

      These are real caramels.  No brown sugar or vanilla to ‘fake’ the caramel color.  You will actually be browning the sugar to create the color.  But beware!!!  It is going to get hot and steamy.  Wait, those are usually good thing.  Anyway, I found a recipe close to this on the web and I would go to the website every time I made caramels.  But, then the website was taken down.  Oh, the horror!  I didn’t bother to memorize the recipe and now it was gone.  So, I have no idea if this is the same as the one I found.  I had to start from scratch.  But, I think I have a good recipe here.  Give it a try!  This makes 24 1 inch caramels or the caramel layer for 36 snickers, samoas, milky ways...you get the point.

The New Awesome Caramel in my new recipe for Snickers.  To. Die. For!

What you will need:

• -          1 cup granulated sugar
• -          ½ cup corn syrup
• -          ½ cup water
• -          4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 a stick).  Take the butter out of the fridge and cut your 4 tablespoons into small pieces.  I usually cut mine into 12-16 pieces.
• -          1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• -          1 teaspoon of salt

Tools you will need:

• -          3 quart pan.  Don't go any smaller than this size. The mixture will bubble up a lot!
• -          Candy thermometer
• -          Whisk
• -          A pan sprayed with nonstick spray or a silicone candy pan (I love mine!  I use them for so many treats)

Steps:  Read all the steps before starting!  This is not a ’learn as you go’ recipe.  You need to know your stuff first!

1)      This method goes fast.  You need to have everything ready to go before you start to cook.  Cut the butter and measure out the cream.  I put the salt into the cream. 

2)      In your 3 quart pan, place the sugar, corn syrup and water.  Whisk this mixture over medium low heat.  On my electric stove, I place the heat at 4.  Whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. 

3)      Now, turn up the heat to high!  Yes, High!!!  Burn, baby, burn!!  Place the candy thermometer on the pan. Don’t stir!!! Don’t walk away!  I said don’t!  This is going to happen fast.  You want the mixture to reach between 290-300.  If you want a runny caramel, go for 290.  Want a sturdy caramel, go for 300.  Since I live it the mountains, I cook mine until 285 (subtract two degrees for every 1000 feet above sea level).  You want the sugar to just start to get color (a light amber).

4)      Now that the sugar is at temp, remove from the heat.  Put ¼-1/3 of the butter into the pan and whisk!  Whisk like there is no tomorrow!  Once the butter is incorporated, add another ¼- 1/3 of the butter.  Continue to whisk until all the butter has been added.

5)      It is scary now!  Pour the salt and cream in.  Start to whisk slowly!  Everything will seem calm when you add the cream.  But, once you start to whisk, the gates of hell will open up and the sugar mixture will hiss and shoot hot steam at you.  Go slow!  Once the mixture calms down, gently whisk until the mixture is smooth.  This whole step shouldn’t take more than a minute. 

 After cream is added

A few seconds later.  Nice and smooth!

6)      Pour it out!  You need to get it out of the pan as soon as you can.  And don’t scrape the pan.  The part that sticks to the pan is overdone and may have bits of hard sugar in it.  Not good eats! 

I love using silicone molds for the caramels.  They are all the same size.  I just put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up, pop them out and dip.  Love it!!!

This recipe may take a few test runs.  You need to pick the temperature that works for you.  If the first, or second, batch doesn’t work, don’t give up.  They are the best caramels I have ever had, homemade or store bought.  And they are very fast.  Give it a try!!

      These are real caramels.  No brown sugar or vanilla to ‘fake’ the caramel color.  You will actually be browning the sugar to create the color.  But beware!!!  It is going to get hot and steamy.  Wait, those are usually good thing.  Anyway, I found a recipe close to this on the web and I would go to the website every time I made caramels.  But, then the website was taken down.  Oh, the horror!  I didn’t bother to memorize the recipe and now it was gone.  So, I have no idea if this is the same as the one I found.  I had to start from scratch.  But, I think I have a good recipe here.  Give it a try!  This makes 24 1 inch caramels or the caramel layer for 36 snickers, samoas, milky ways...you get the point.

The New Awesome Caramel in my new recipe for Snickers.  To. Die. For!

What you will need:

• -          1 cup granulated sugar
• -          ½ cup corn syrup
• -          ½ cup water
• -          4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 a stick).  Take the butter out of the fridge and cut your 4 tablespoons into small pieces.  I usually cut mine into 12-16 pieces.
• -          1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• -          1 teaspoon of salt

Tools you will need:

• -          3 quart pan.  Don't go any smaller than this size. The mixture will bubble up a lot!
• -          Candy thermometer
• -          Whisk
• -          A pan sprayed with nonstick spray or a silicone candy pan (I love mine!  I use them for so many treats)

Steps:  Read all the steps before starting!  This is not a ’learn as you go’ recipe.  You need to know your stuff first!

1)      This method goes fast.  You need to have everything ready to go before you start to cook.  Cut the butter and measure out the cream.  I put the salt into the cream. 

2)      In your 3 quart pan, place the sugar, corn syrup and water.  Whisk this mixture over medium low heat.  On my electric stove, I place the heat at 4.  Whisk until all the sugar is dissolved. 

3)      Now, turn up the heat to high!  Yes, High!!!  Burn, baby, burn!!  Place the candy thermometer on the pan. Don’t stir!!! Don’t walk away!  I said don’t!  This is going to happen fast.  You want the mixture to reach between 290-300.  If you want a runny caramel, go for 290.  Want a sturdy caramel, go for 300.  Since I live it the mountains, I cook mine until 285 (subtract two degrees for every 1000 feet above sea level).  You want the sugar to just start to get color (a light amber).

4)      Now that the sugar is at temp, remove from the heat.  Put ¼-1/3 of the butter into the pan and whisk!  Whisk like there is no tomorrow!  Once the butter is incorporated, add another ¼- 1/3 of the butter.  Continue to whisk until all the butter has been added.

5)      It is scary now!  Pour the salt and cream in.  Start to whisk slowly!  Everything will seem calm when you add the cream.  But, once you start to whisk, the gates of hell will open up and the sugar mixture will hiss and shoot hot steam at you.  Go slow!  Once the mixture calms down, gently whisk until the mixture is smooth.  This whole step shouldn’t take more than a minute. 

 After cream is added

A few seconds later.  Nice and smooth!

6)      Pour it out!  You need to get it out of the pan as soon as you can.  And don’t scrape the pan.  The part that sticks to the pan is overdone and may have bits of hard sugar in it.  Not good eats! 

I love using silicone molds for the caramels.  They are all the same size.  I just put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up, pop them out and dip.  Love it!!!

This recipe may take a few test runs.  You need to pick the temperature that works for you.  If the first, or second, batch doesn’t work, don’t give up.  They are the best caramels I have ever had, homemade or store bought.  And they are very fast.  Give it a try!!

My Take on TAKE 5 candy bar! Caramel, peanuts, peanut butter, pretzel and chocolate! Awesome!!!

Have you ever heard of a candy bar and it sounded so good. But, when you try it, it’s just not right. That’s what happened to me. I love salty-sweet snacks. But, it was missing something. So, I decided to play with the proportions and I think it’s amazing now. Seriously, it’s AMAZING (and I am just so humble ;)) I did make my own caramel, but you can use store bought caramel. It will still rock!

The layers to the Take 5 are: Pretzel, Peanut Butter mixture, Caramel and Peanuts. I mixed the peanuts into the caramel because it was easier.

The parts to the Take 5! The caramel with peanuts is already made, but here are the parts to the peanut butter mixture.

Pretzel: I used Snyder’s of Hanover Butter Snap Pretzels. They are the ones that look like little waffles. Any pretzel will work, but these look like the one in the original.

Peanut Butter Mixture: This is a super easy recipe. I added a dash of salt to make sure my end result is salty-sweet. Here it is:

Peanut Butter Mixture

· 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

· 1 cup Powdered Sugar

· 2 tablespoons of Graham Cracker crumbs (I used a food processor to get the crumb as fine as possible).

Step:

1) Mix all ingredients together. That’s it!!

Caramel: I made my caramel recipe found here and added 1 cup of chopped salted peanuts before I poured it into a 13 x 9 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. If you don’t wish to make your own, here is what you can do:

Store Bought Caramels

· 70 – 100 caramels (I say 70 is enough, but Mr. Wonderful says 100. It up to you and how much you love caramel)

· 1-2 tablespoons of Evaporated Milk

· 1 cup of Chopped Salted Peanuts

Steps:

1) Unwrap all your caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl

2) Add 1-3 tablespoons of Evaporated Milk (I would use one tablespoon for 70 caramels and 2 for 100 caramels.)

3) Place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until the caramels are melted.

4) Stir in Peanuts.

5) Pour into a 13 x 9 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

 

Now we have the components, we can make the candy bars!!

Assembly:

1) Prepare the caramels in a 13 x 9 pan. Allow to firm up.
2) Remove the caramel from the pan and place on a Silpat or sprayed aluminum foil.
3) Spread the peanut butter mixture onto of the caramel.
4) Place the pretzels on top of the peanut butter mixture close together. Leave a little room in between to be able to cut the squares apart.

5) Once you have the pretzels in place, press them into the peanut butter mixture.
6) Cut the candy into squares (using the pretzels as a guide). Place the candy on a sprayed pan and place in the fridge. You want the peanut butter mixture to be as firm as possible before you dip them. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

7) Now, let’s dip! Prepare your chocolate (I used Milk Chocolate Candy Melts) using the instructions on the back of the package or use my instructions found here.
8) Retrieve the candy from the fridge. Using a fork, place the squares (one at a time) in the chocolate pretzel side down. Then, use the fork to flip over the candy to cover the caramel side. Slide the fork under the caramel side and lift it up. Tap off the excess chocolate and place on a Silpat or wax paper.

9) I used a little extra melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag to make a design on top. I just snipped the very tip of the bag and drizzled chocolate over the top.

I hope you try these. They are really good and this recipe makes a ton! You can easily get 5 or 6 gifts out of one batch. Enjoy!!

Have you ever heard of a candy bar and it sounded so good. But, when you try it, it’s just not right. That’s what happened to me. I love salty-sweet snacks. But, it was missing something. So, I decided to play with the proportions and I think it’s amazing now. Seriously, it’s AMAZING (and I am just so humble ;)) I did make my own caramel, but you can use store bought caramel. It will still rock!

The layers to the Take 5 are: Pretzel, Peanut Butter mixture, Caramel and Peanuts. I mixed the peanuts into the caramel because it was easier.

The parts to the Take 5! The caramel with peanuts is already made, but here are the parts to the peanut butter mixture.

Pretzel: I used Snyder’s of Hanover Butter Snap Pretzels. They are the ones that look like little waffles. Any pretzel will work, but these look like the one in the original.

Peanut Butter Mixture: This is a super easy recipe. I added a dash of salt to make sure my end result is salty-sweet. Here it is:

Peanut Butter Mixture

· 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

· 1 cup Powdered Sugar

· 2 tablespoons of Graham Cracker crumbs (I used a food processor to get the crumb as fine as possible).

Step:

1) Mix all ingredients together. That’s it!!

Caramel: I made my caramel recipe found here and added 1 cup of chopped salted peanuts before I poured it into a 13 x 9 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. If you don’t wish to make your own, here is what you can do:

Store Bought Caramels

· 70 – 100 caramels (I say 70 is enough, but Mr. Wonderful says 100. It up to you and how much you love caramel)

· 1-2 tablespoons of Evaporated Milk

· 1 cup of Chopped Salted Peanuts

Steps:

1) Unwrap all your caramels and place in a microwave safe bowl

2) Add 1-3 tablespoons of Evaporated Milk (I would use one tablespoon for 70 caramels and 2 for 100 caramels.)

3) Place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until the caramels are melted.

4) Stir in Peanuts.

5) Pour into a 13 x 9 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

 

Now we have the components, we can make the candy bars!!

Assembly:

1) Prepare the caramels in a 13 x 9 pan. Allow to firm up.
2) Remove the caramel from the pan and place on a Silpat or sprayed aluminum foil.
3) Spread the peanut butter mixture onto of the caramel.
4) Place the pretzels on top of the peanut butter mixture close together. Leave a little room in between to be able to cut the squares apart.

5) Once you have the pretzels in place, press them into the peanut butter mixture.
6) Cut the candy into squares (using the pretzels as a guide). Place the candy on a sprayed pan and place in the fridge. You want the peanut butter mixture to be as firm as possible before you dip them. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

7) Now, let’s dip! Prepare your chocolate (I used Milk Chocolate Candy Melts) using the instructions on the back of the package or use my instructions found here.
8) Retrieve the candy from the fridge. Using a fork, place the squares (one at a time) in the chocolate pretzel side down. Then, use the fork to flip over the candy to cover the caramel side. Slide the fork under the caramel side and lift it up. Tap off the excess chocolate and place on a Silpat or wax paper.

9) I used a little extra melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag to make a design on top. I just snipped the very tip of the bag and drizzled chocolate over the top.

I hope you try these. They are really good and this recipe makes a ton! You can easily get 5 or 6 gifts out of one batch. Enjoy!!

Homemade Snickers Bars!! Who doesn’t love caramel, nougat, peanuts and chocolate!

 Here is a new recipe: http://trufflepopsandmore.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-new-super-awesome-snickers-recipe.html

I love snickers! Well, until I had the Snicker Nutcrackers that they put out at Christmas time. Why are they better? They are fresh and that makes such a difference! The nougat is so creamy and I just love them. So, I decided to try my hand at making some from scratch. I hope you will give it a try too!

Now, Snickers have layers: A layer of nougat and a layer of caramel with peanuts mixed in. Then, the whole thing is covered in milk chocolate. Yummy!!

For the Caramel layer, I made homemade caramel from the recipe found here. Just before I poured the caramel onto a pan, I mixed in one cup of slightly chopped peanuts. I used cocktail peanuts. I then poured the caramel onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat. You could use aluminum foil that is sprayed with nonstick spray.

Note: If you don’t want to make your own caramel, use 70 individually wrapped caramels. Just unwrap them and place them in a bowl with up to 4 tablespoon of water (My mother in law said to start with one tablespoon and add more if needed.  But, only add a little at a time). Heat up your caramel in the microwave in 30 second intervals (stirring in between) until smooth. Then, mix in the peanuts and pour onto a Silpat or sprayed aluminum foil.

For the Nougat layer, I adapted a recipe I found in A Treasury Of Top Secret Recipes (Todd Wilbur).

Peanut Butter Nougat
· 2 tablespoons of water
· ½ cup of Light Corn Syrup
· 4 tablespoons of Butter (softened, but not melted)
· 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
· 4 tablespoons of Peanut Butter
· Dash of Salt
· 6 cups of Powdered Sugar

Steps:
1) Mix the first 6 ingredients together until well combined.
2) Slowly add in the powered sugar and mix well.
3) Spread the Nougat onto the caramel.



I put all the Nougat in the center of the caramel layer and used a rolling pin to roll an even layer of nougat onto the entire surface of the caramel. Place in the fridge for just a few minutes to set up.

I tried to cut the Snickers into the same size squares, but I failed. Oh well, they will taste the same! Note: if you are using a Silpat, don’t cut on it!

Now, time for the Chocolate!! I used 24 oz of Milk Chocolate and 8 oz of Dark Chocolate for the coating. I thought just milk chocolate was a little too sweet for me. I melted the chocolate candy melts in the microwave according to the instructions on the package. The way I do it: I put it in a microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir. Another minute at 50% power. Stir. 30 Seconds at 50% power. Now, test it! Put a small amount on your lip. If you feel any heat at all, mix in 5-10 unmelted wafers. Stir until the wafers are melted. Test again! If you still feel heat, add a few more wafers and stir. This will stop you from getting the chalky look on your chocolate.

Time to dip! Dunk a piece at a time in the chocolate. Lift it out with a fork and tap off the extra chocolate. Place them on a Silpat or wax paper.

Enjoy the Snicker goodness!! I know Mr. Wonderful is!!!!

 Here is a new recipe: http://trufflepopsandmore.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-new-super-awesome-snickers-recipe.html

I love snickers! Well, until I had the Snicker Nutcrackers that they put out at Christmas time. Why are they better? They are fresh and that makes such a difference! The nougat is so creamy and I just love them. So, I decided to try my hand at making some from scratch. I hope you will give it a try too!

Now, Snickers have layers: A layer of nougat and a layer of caramel with peanuts mixed in. Then, the whole thing is covered in milk chocolate. Yummy!!

For the Caramel layer, I made homemade caramel from the recipe found here. Just before I poured the caramel onto a pan, I mixed in one cup of slightly chopped peanuts. I used cocktail peanuts. I then poured the caramel onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat. You could use aluminum foil that is sprayed with nonstick spray.

Note: If you don’t want to make your own caramel, use 70 individually wrapped caramels. Just unwrap them and place them in a bowl with up to 4 tablespoon of water (My mother in law said to start with one tablespoon and add more if needed.  But, only add a little at a time). Heat up your caramel in the microwave in 30 second intervals (stirring in between) until smooth. Then, mix in the peanuts and pour onto a Silpat or sprayed aluminum foil.

For the Nougat layer, I adapted a recipe I found in A Treasury Of Top Secret Recipes (Todd Wilbur).

Peanut Butter Nougat
· 2 tablespoons of water
· ½ cup of Light Corn Syrup
· 4 tablespoons of Butter (softened, but not melted)
· 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
· 4 tablespoons of Peanut Butter
· Dash of Salt
· 6 cups of Powdered Sugar

Steps:
1) Mix the first 6 ingredients together until well combined.
2) Slowly add in the powered sugar and mix well.
3) Spread the Nougat onto the caramel.



I put all the Nougat in the center of the caramel layer and used a rolling pin to roll an even layer of nougat onto the entire surface of the caramel. Place in the fridge for just a few minutes to set up.

I tried to cut the Snickers into the same size squares, but I failed. Oh well, they will taste the same! Note: if you are using a Silpat, don’t cut on it!

Now, time for the Chocolate!! I used 24 oz of Milk Chocolate and 8 oz of Dark Chocolate for the coating. I thought just milk chocolate was a little too sweet for me. I melted the chocolate candy melts in the microwave according to the instructions on the package. The way I do it: I put it in a microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir. Another minute at 50% power. Stir. 30 Seconds at 50% power. Now, test it! Put a small amount on your lip. If you feel any heat at all, mix in 5-10 unmelted wafers. Stir until the wafers are melted. Test again! If you still feel heat, add a few more wafers and stir. This will stop you from getting the chalky look on your chocolate.

Time to dip! Dunk a piece at a time in the chocolate. Lift it out with a fork and tap off the extra chocolate. Place them on a Silpat or wax paper.

Enjoy the Snicker goodness!! I know Mr. Wonderful is!!!!

Giant ‘Girl Scout’ like Samoa Cookies!! You can have them all year round!!

I love Samoas. But, they are only around once a year and are pretty expensive. So, I made some. Mine are MUCH BIGGER than the Girl Scout version! But, taste great.
What a Samoa is: A shortbread cookie, covered in toasted coconut and caramel. Then the bottom is dipped in chocolate and more chocolate is drizzled on the top. Yummy!!
For the cookie, I used my William-Sonoma Cookie Press and recipe for Vanilla Cookies found in the box. You could buy some shortbread cookies if you are short on time or patience.

William-Sonoma Vanilla Cookies
· 2 sticks on softened unsalted butter (I used salted. It’s all I had.)
· 1 cup White Sugar
· 1 egg
· 2 ½ tsp. Vanilla extract
· ½ tsp Salt
· 2 ½ cups of Sifted All purpose flour

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a bowl, combine butter and sugar. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy.
3) Add the egg, vanilla and salt. Beat until well mixed.
4) Add in Flour, a little at a time and mix until just blended.
5) Bake for 14 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
 
I used my Cookie press, but you could use a cookie cutter or make snakes and shape them into a wreath. Make sure it’s about ¼ inch thick when you put them in the oven.

I like the wreaths because they are similar to the original. But, the disks were a lot easier to cover.
Next, the Caramel!! You could use 2 bags of good store bought caramel. I used my caramel recipe found here.
Now, to toast the coconut. I used 2 cups of sweetened coconut. I spread it on a pan and placed it in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. You will need to stir it every minute or so. Don’t wait until it is brown to remove it from the oven. It will continue to brown a bit while it’s cooling.

To make the caramel soft and spreadable, I combine the caramel and 4 tablespoons of Evaporated Milk in a microwave safe bowl and heated it up in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval. If your caramels are hard, you may need more evaporated milk. I would start with 3 tablespoons and add more if you need it. You want it to be thin enough to spread but too thick to pour (about the consistency of frosting).

You may think it is never going to mix together. Be patience and it will. It took me 4 or 5 intervals to get the mixture nice and smooth.
Once the caramel is warm and spreadable; stir in your two cups of toasted coconut. Now, you are ready to ‘frost’ your cookies! I placed a bit on the peaks of the cookies and allowed the caramel to ooze down the sides.

After the caramel has hardened (it’s still soft but workable), I got my chocolate ready. You could use milk chocolate, dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate. I did a taste test with my family and we found we like a 50-50 mixture of dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
Once I melted the chocolate (I needed 8 oz of milk and 8 oz of dark) in the microwave (50% power for 30 second intervals. Stirring in between each interval), I dipped the bottoms in to the chocolate and placed the cookie on a Silpat, chocolate side down. If you are using wax paper, I would place the cookies chocolate side up and allow to dry. After they are all face up, I used a Ziploc bag, with the corner cut off) to drizzle more chocolate on the top.

Enjoy!! They rock!!

I love Samoas. But, they are only around once a year and are pretty expensive. So, I made some. Mine are MUCH BIGGER than the Girl Scout version! But, taste great.
What a Samoa is: A shortbread cookie, covered in toasted coconut and caramel. Then the bottom is dipped in chocolate and more chocolate is drizzled on the top. Yummy!!
For the cookie, I used my William-Sonoma Cookie Press and recipe for Vanilla Cookies found in the box. You could buy some shortbread cookies if you are short on time or patience.

William-Sonoma Vanilla Cookies
· 2 sticks on softened unsalted butter (I used salted. It’s all I had.)
· 1 cup White Sugar
· 1 egg
· 2 ½ tsp. Vanilla extract
· ½ tsp Salt
· 2 ½ cups of Sifted All purpose flour

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a bowl, combine butter and sugar. Mix on high speed until light and fluffy.
3) Add the egg, vanilla and salt. Beat until well mixed.
4) Add in Flour, a little at a time and mix until just blended.
5) Bake for 14 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown.
 
I used my Cookie press, but you could use a cookie cutter or make snakes and shape them into a wreath. Make sure it’s about ¼ inch thick when you put them in the oven.

I like the wreaths because they are similar to the original. But, the disks were a lot easier to cover.
Next, the Caramel!! You could use 2 bags of good store bought caramel. I used my caramel recipe found here.
Now, to toast the coconut. I used 2 cups of sweetened coconut. I spread it on a pan and placed it in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. You will need to stir it every minute or so. Don’t wait until it is brown to remove it from the oven. It will continue to brown a bit while it’s cooling.

To make the caramel soft and spreadable, I combine the caramel and 4 tablespoons of Evaporated Milk in a microwave safe bowl and heated it up in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval. If your caramels are hard, you may need more evaporated milk. I would start with 3 tablespoons and add more if you need it. You want it to be thin enough to spread but too thick to pour (about the consistency of frosting).

You may think it is never going to mix together. Be patience and it will. It took me 4 or 5 intervals to get the mixture nice and smooth.
Once the caramel is warm and spreadable; stir in your two cups of toasted coconut. Now, you are ready to ‘frost’ your cookies! I placed a bit on the peaks of the cookies and allowed the caramel to ooze down the sides.

After the caramel has hardened (it’s still soft but workable), I got my chocolate ready. You could use milk chocolate, dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate. I did a taste test with my family and we found we like a 50-50 mixture of dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
Once I melted the chocolate (I needed 8 oz of milk and 8 oz of dark) in the microwave (50% power for 30 second intervals. Stirring in between each interval), I dipped the bottoms in to the chocolate and placed the cookie on a Silpat, chocolate side down. If you are using wax paper, I would place the cookies chocolate side up and allow to dry. After they are all face up, I used a Ziploc bag, with the corner cut off) to drizzle more chocolate on the top.

Enjoy!! They rock!!

Caramallow Squares! Layers of Homemade Caramel and Marshmallow covered in Milk Chocolate!! Yummy!!

This recipe can be split into two different ones: Homemade Caramel and Homemade Marshmallow. But, when you put them together and cover them in chocolate, its pure heaven!
Thing you will need:
· Caramel from this recipe
· Marshmallow from this recipe
· 13 x 9 pan (and maybe an extra pan)
· Milk Chocolate Candy Melts
· Dipping tool or a fork
· Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Liner
or Wax paper

Step to make Caramallow Squares:
1) Follow this recipe for caramels and pour into a 13 x 9 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Allow to cool. I allowed it to cool while I made the Marshmallows.
2) Next, Make Marshmallows following this recipe. Pour on top of the caramel mixture. You may want the entire marshmallow on top or only half. I like only adding half. I put the rest of the marshmallow in another pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and sprinkled with cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture (equal parts).
3) Allow the Caramel/Marshmallow mixture to set up for at least four hours.
4) Remove from pan (gently pull the sides away from the pan and then use a spatula to remove the whole piece at once).
5) Spray your knife with nonstick spray and cut into the sizes you want.

6) Prepare chocolate by melting it using the directions on the package. What I do: Pour the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Take out ten wafers and set aside for later. Place the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Repeat for another minute. Stir. Heat for 30 seconds more at 50% if needed. Stir. Now, test the chocolate. Put a small drop on your lip. If you feel any heat, it is too hot and you need to add the ten wafers that you set aside and stir until they are melted. This should be perfect. But, test it!
7) Place your Caramel/marshmallow square marshmallow side down in the chocolate. Use the fork to turn it over to cover that whole square. Then use the fork to lift the square up. Tap off the extra chocolate and slide onto a Silpat or wax paper.

8) Allow to dry and enjoy!!!

This recipe can be split into two different ones: Homemade Caramel and Homemade Marshmallow. But, when you put them together and cover them in chocolate, its pure heaven!
Thing you will need:
· Caramel from this recipe
· Marshmallow from this recipe
· 13 x 9 pan (and maybe an extra pan)
· Milk Chocolate Candy Melts
· Dipping tool or a fork
· Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Liner
or Wax paper

Step to make Caramallow Squares:
1) Follow this recipe for caramels and pour into a 13 x 9 pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Allow to cool. I allowed it to cool while I made the Marshmallows.
2) Next, Make Marshmallows following this recipe. Pour on top of the caramel mixture. You may want the entire marshmallow on top or only half. I like only adding half. I put the rest of the marshmallow in another pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and sprinkled with cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture (equal parts).
3) Allow the Caramel/Marshmallow mixture to set up for at least four hours.
4) Remove from pan (gently pull the sides away from the pan and then use a spatula to remove the whole piece at once).
5) Spray your knife with nonstick spray and cut into the sizes you want.

6) Prepare chocolate by melting it using the directions on the package. What I do: Pour the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Take out ten wafers and set aside for later. Place the bowl in the microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir. Repeat for another minute. Stir. Heat for 30 seconds more at 50% if needed. Stir. Now, test the chocolate. Put a small drop on your lip. If you feel any heat, it is too hot and you need to add the ten wafers that you set aside and stir until they are melted. This should be perfect. But, test it!
7) Place your Caramel/marshmallow square marshmallow side down in the chocolate. Use the fork to turn it over to cover that whole square. Then use the fork to lift the square up. Tap off the extra chocolate and slide onto a Silpat or wax paper.

8) Allow to dry and enjoy!!!

Homemade Caramels!!! So good!!

 

What you need for the caramels:

· ½ cup or one stick of SOFTENED Butter

· 1 cup White Sugar

· ½ cup Brown Sugar

· ½ cup Light Corn Syrup

· ½ cup Evaporated Milk

· 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

· 1 teaspoon of Vanilla

Tools you will need for the caramels:

· 3 qt saucepan

· Candy Thermometer

· 13 x 9 pan sprayed with non butter flavored nonstick spray

Steps for Caramel:
1) In a 3 qt saucepan, melt your softened butter over medium heat.
2) Add White Sugar, Brown Sugar and Corn Syrup. Stir until combined.
3) Add Cream and Evaporated Milk and stir to combine. This step may take a few minutes.
4) Continue to stir often with a Wooden Spoon. Why a wooden spoon? Metal can get too hot and it can also conduct heat. Plastic can melt.
5) Once it is boiling, clip on your thermometer.
6) Keep stirring often. Toward the end of the cooking process, I stir nonstop.
7) Bring the mixture to 240 degrees. Because I am at over 4000 feet above sea level, I stop cooking when I reach 230 degrees. The rule of thumb is to reduce the degree by 2 for every 1000 feet above sea level.
8) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
9) Pour into sprayed pan. Try not to scrape the bottom. It may be discolored.
10) Allow to cool and cut! Enjoy them as they are or cover in chocolate!!
I completely forgot to take a final picture! You can see what the caramel will look like in the Caramallow post. When I make these again, I’ll add a picture. In the meantime, I wanted to show you what my little monkey was doing while I was making candy. Such a cutie!!

Update: I made them again and took a final picture.

 

What you need for the caramels:

· ½ cup or one stick of SOFTENED Butter

· 1 cup White Sugar

· ½ cup Brown Sugar

· ½ cup Light Corn Syrup

· ½ cup Evaporated Milk

· 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

· 1 teaspoon of Vanilla

Tools you will need for the caramels:

· 3 qt saucepan

· Candy Thermometer

· 13 x 9 pan sprayed with non butter flavored nonstick spray

Steps for Caramel:
1) In a 3 qt saucepan, melt your softened butter over medium heat.
2) Add White Sugar, Brown Sugar and Corn Syrup. Stir until combined.
3) Add Cream and Evaporated Milk and stir to combine. This step may take a few minutes.
4) Continue to stir often with a Wooden Spoon. Why a wooden spoon? Metal can get too hot and it can also conduct heat. Plastic can melt.
5) Once it is boiling, clip on your thermometer.
6) Keep stirring often. Toward the end of the cooking process, I stir nonstop.
7) Bring the mixture to 240 degrees. Because I am at over 4000 feet above sea level, I stop cooking when I reach 230 degrees. The rule of thumb is to reduce the degree by 2 for every 1000 feet above sea level.
8) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
9) Pour into sprayed pan. Try not to scrape the bottom. It may be discolored.
10) Allow to cool and cut! Enjoy them as they are or cover in chocolate!!
I completely forgot to take a final picture! You can see what the caramel will look like in the Caramallow post. When I make these again, I’ll add a picture. In the meantime, I wanted to show you what my little monkey was doing while I was making candy. Such a cutie!!

Update: I made them again and took a final picture.