salted caramels
What do you gift the person who has it all? A nice box of salted caramels, of course! The best gifts are handmade with love; a little effort on your part (and a candy thermometer) will result in a batch of soft and creamy caramels that you may find so tempting that it’s a struggle to part with them.
Flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, and honey (these caramels are corn syrup-free!), each bite is utterly balanced, caramel perfection. A shower of flaky salt is a must, especially if you’re equally smitten with all things salty-sweet.
Yield: 30 caramels
Calories per serving: 90
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- flaky salt
Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Combine heavy cream, butter, vanilla bean and seeds, cinnamon, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Once mixture boils, immediately remove from heat and set aside.
Combine honey and sugar in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and heat to 280°F. Stir just at the beginning with a heatproof spatula; stop stirring once sugar begins to melt. When the sugar mixture reaches 280°F, carefully strain heavy cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer into it (stand back; the ingredients will bubble and spatter). Continue to cook mixture until it reaches 250°F.
Pour the caramel into prepared pan and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes; top with flaky salt. Place uncovered pan in the refrigerator and cool for 2 hours to set. Lift parchment to remove caramel from pan and place on a cutting board. Spray a sharp knife with nonstick spray and trim any ragged edges; cut into 30 caramels. Wrap caramels individually in wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks.
Notes
Adapted from Leite's Culinaria
2.6 http://tutti-dolci.com/2014/12/salted-caramels/
