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Chewy Salted Caramels

These are just like the Quality Street golden batons of chewy caramel enrobed in milk chocolate, which in my experience, siblings of all ages will fight over. These have a touch of salt to cut through the sweetness, and in this case I’ve left them plain, as I quite like them that way, however you could very easily coat them in tempered milk or dark chocolate and they would be delicious.

I think a lot of people are nervous of any recipe involving caramel, or a sugar thermometer. I can understand why, as sugar does have a tendency to crystallise, and I swear it has some kind of sentience, it can sense your fear and will almost certainly crystallise once it gets a whiff of your anxiety. This recipe however is pretty well fool-proof, as it contains liquid glucose, a God-send to confectioners as it prevents the sugar from crystallising. I’d recommend always working in small batches until you’re really confident with caramel.

[recipe title=”Chewy Salted Caramels” servings=”8″ time=”1hour” difficulty=”medium”]

Makes a small batch, about 8 large batons, as pictured.

You will need a 1lb loaf tin, or something of a similar size, which is heat proof, to set it in. You will also need a reliable sugar thermometer – I prefer digital probes as they give a really quick and accurate reading.

[recipe-ingredients]
  • 160ml double cream
  • 195g caster sugar
  • 120g liquid glucose
  • 30g unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks
  • Pinch salt
[/recipe-ingredients] [recipe-directions]
  • Line the loaf tin with with non-stick baking parchment.
  • Warm the cream in the microwave, then set it aside to keep warm – you don’t need it to be a particular temp, this is just so that it doesn’t shock the caramel when you add it.
  • Combine the sugar and glucose in a heavy pan, with enough water just to wet it. Set it over a medium heat, and stay with it until it melts, bubbles, and then turns a golden brown colour. Don’t stir it at any point before this, as it encourages it to crystallise, just swirl the pan gently if it is colouring unevenly. Once it has reached a really deep golden colour, remove it from the heat, and very carefully whisk in the warm cream – stand well back as it’s likely to spit at you.
  • Return the pan to the heat, and take it to 125’c. Remove it from the heat, then whisk in the butter and salt, and pour it into the loaf tin to set. Leave it at room temp, overnight ideally, until completely set, then cut it into batons (or whatever shape you like) and either coat in tempered chocolate, or leave plain and wrap in baking parchment squares. Store in an airtight container at room temp.
[/recipe-directions] [recipe-notes]

The caramels in the main picture are wrapped in a kind of cellophane called roasting film, which I’ve never seen outside commercial kitchens, but I believe florist’s cellophane would be a good alternative if you want them in a clear wrapper. I actually prefer the baking parchment look, though.

[/recipe-notes] [/recipe]