CARAMELS!!!

Remember how I've been promising, for the better part of 4 months, to share my mom's caramels recipe with you? Well, my candy thermometer and I were finally on speaking terms this past week, and basically, I said I would get this recipe to you before Christmas and IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!!! TODAY!!!

Let me preface this by saying:
Before you make candy, or anything requiring the use of a thermometer, you need to check if the thermometer is even correct. Do this by sticking it in a pot of boiling water. Water boils at 212 degrees. If your thermometer is off, like mine is (it's low by 7 degrees), then you just need to take that into consideration when checking the candy's temperature.
Does that make sense? For example, for these caramels you'll need to bring the mixture to 238 degrees, but because my thermometer was off by 7 degrees, I brought the mixture to 231 degrees. Does that make sense? Am I asking that question too much? Just, always check your thermometer before making these!!!

Moving on, these things are HEAVEN. They're like butter. They are soft and practically melt in your mouth. These things are the epitome of Christmas to me. I love it!!! Have you made candy before? You should give it a try and make these :) And definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY, have a book on hand or a movie playing or something, because you will be standing at the stove stirring for awhile (totally worth it). I found that it was fun to sing along with the Evita movie soundtrack while I made mine this past week (for some reason I like singing Antonio Banderas' parts better than Madonna's. I just feel like Che gets better songs than Evita does, anyways...)


Caramels

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark Karo syrup
1 1/2 cups cream

Cook sugar, syrup and 1/2 cup cream in heavy pan (always use a pot with many layers on the bottom! nice and thick for not burning through). Cook to 238 degrees. Add another 1/2 cup cream and cook to 238 degrees (you'll have to do this part a few more times if you double the recipe, just keep going until you get to the last 1/2 cup).
Add last 1/2 cup cream and cook to 240 degrees (or softball). When candy begins to thicken with last addition of cream, stir constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Pour candy into buttered 8x8 or 9x9 pan. If desired, put chopped nuts in the bottom of the pan before pouring the candy in.


Crucial recipe note here!
If you double this recipe (and I recommend that you do, hello! thicker caramels!) you double the sugar and the cream but NOT the syrup! My mom and I are not sure why this is the cold hard truth, but it is. So just follow that tip.

Isn't that lovely and caramely looking?

This is important, probably more important than the not doubling the syrup rule. 

DON'T. SCRAPE. THE. POT.

When you are pouring the caramel from the pot to the pan, fight all of your natural instincts and just let it roll out as it will. There will still be some caramel in the pot, so just have a plate set aside to scrape whatever is left out onto the plate.

Here is why you don't scrape it over the pan of caramel: the pot is so hot, that the caramel keeps cooking as you pour it out. If you scrape any of it out, you will end of up with those dark swirls from caramel that cooked a little longer than what was poured out initially. 

There's lots of weird characteristics with this caramel huh? But maaaaan, it is so good!

Cute right? The way my mom and I like to "serve" these is to cut squares out of waxed paper and twist the cut up caramel into them, like a piece of candy. 

These make great gifts :)

Or you can just cut chunks out and eat them that way... I'm not going to judge you. I mean, it's not like I'VE ever done anything like that before...

Enjoy!!!

Recipe source: Mi madre!!

Chocolate Walnut Caramels and Chocolate Almond Toffee. Meh.

I feel very mediocre about this past weekend's culinary endeavors. I've been wanting to make a candy or chocolate type something for awhile. While I haven't yet gotten the patience to actually temper chocolate, I made caramels and toffee and dipped/spread them with chocolate.



Here is the caramel becoming caramel. I just want to take a moment to say thank you to the woman that invented the clip that holds a candy thermometer on a pot. I say woman because I'm pretty sure a man didn't do it.

These sounded really good in writing. I followed the directions, cooked it to the right temperature, got fresh walnuts from HEB, etc. It just turned out...weird. When I think of caramel, I think chewy, buttery goodness. This was really hard to chew and I think it requires way too much cooking time.

Here's the toffee getting chocolate covered! I've included this picture for the sake of showing off one of the skirts I got in Ireland (I got 3...). It's really cute! This picture does it no justice...

Out of the two candies I made, I tolerated this one the best. It has toasted almonds in it that added a nice after taste. I liked the toffee, Mike gushed about the "caramel". It's clear that I need a neutral judge that's not myself or sealed to me for time and all eternity to tell me how my food really tastes.

I know where the blame falls for me not liking what I made this week. Mom, this is entirely your fault. If you hadn't raised me on the most amazing homemade caramel and toffee then I probably would've liked these two recipes.

Maybe it was the time of year. When I think of caramel and toffee and dipping things in chocolate, I think of Christmas. For now, I'm not going to share the recipes for these. I didn't like them, so I'm not endorsing them! HA! As soon as I get my mom's recipes, I will share those though :)