Caramel. Mmmm, just saying the very word conjures up thoughts of everything warm and soothing when the frost is on the pumpkin, and the house smells of something delightful in the oven.
Delicious caramel is made from the simplest of ingredients, cooked to just the right temperature. Sugar and a bit of water brought to a boil on top of the stove and then cooked until the sugar changes from transparent to the most beautiful color of amber. It should smell like amber-colored sugar as well, and if, by chance, it smells like ashes, you have gone too far. The beauty is, it was only a cup of sugar, so throw it out and begin again. This is where a candy thermometer is a must-have kitchen gadget that’s useful until you have made it so many times you know exactly how it’s supposed to look.
After you have made the perfect caramel, you can add additional ingredients such as heavy cream, vanilla, brown butter, and different liquors to make your sauce, candy, icing, or drinks. Caramel Cake and Caramel Apples are usually the first recipes that come to mind, but there is so much more! Homemade caramel sauce in pretty jars makes wonderful gifts, but making Brown Butter Caramel Snickerdoodles (which are my new most favorite cookie of all time, by the way,) or warm Drinking Caramel (only the most luxurious drink you will ever swirl in your mouth) is pretty great, too.
Jump into the holiday season with some new recipes that are very simple and will make your home smell divine. Skip the caramel apples, and be kind to your teeth with a nice cup of Caramel Pot de Crème. Happy fall, y’all!
DRINKING CARAMEL
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
3 cups cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
For garnish: cream and caramel squares
In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a low boil and cook until color changes to a dark brown and smells toasted. Whisk in cream and stir until completely smooth. Add salt and vanilla. Simmer for several minutes, then remove from heat. Ladle into cups or highballs, and sprinkle each with a pinch of salt. Garnish with extra cream and caramel if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: 8 servings
CARAMEL SAUCE
This is a basic caramel recipe, and it is easily doubled for use in the following recipes.
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, blend sugar and water and bring to a simmer. Swirl pan to be sure sugar has dissolved completely and liquid is clear. Cover pan tightly and boil syrup for several minutes over moderately high heat. Continue to boil until bubbles are thick. Uncover pan and continue boiling, swirling pan slowly by its handle. The syrup will begin to change color from golden to amber. Lower heat and add cream with a whisk. Continue cooking for several minutes more until the mixture is very smooth. Remove pan from heat and whisk in salt and vanilla. Serve warm or cold.
Yield: 1½ cups
BROWN BUTTER SALTED CARAMEL SNICKERDOODLES
The browned butter gives this plain cookie extra richness.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup butter, cut in to chunks
1½ cups packed dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cream
1 cup Kraft caramel squares, each cut in half
¼ cup Florida Crystals cane sugar or Raw sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and sea salt; set aside. Heat a small skillet to high and add butter. When melted, reduce heat and stir butter several times, scraping solids from bottom. When butter is beginning to change color and is frothy on top (butter should be brown and have a deep, nutty aroma), remove from heat, being careful not to burn butter. Let butter cool. With a mixer, beat browned butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and cream together. Add to sugar mixture and blend well. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form a ball with sides of plastic. Place dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or longer. When ready to make cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together cane sugar and cinnamon. Using a spoon, scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten ball and place 1 caramel in center. Pinch dough around caramel and re-roll dough into a ball with the palms of your hands. Roll each ball in sugar-cinnamon mixture and place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges turn light brown. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
CARAMEL PEANUTS & POPCORN
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels (do not use microwave popcorn)
1 stick butter
1½ cups dark brown sugar, packed
½ cup light corn syrup
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup roasted and salted peanuts
In a large, heavy-bottom pan, heat oil until hot. Add popcorn. As soon as you hear first kernel pop, cover pan and shake vigorously until all corn is popped. Remove heat and pour into a large bowl. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup to pan and bring to boil. Continue cooking until mixture registers 300 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in salt and baking soda. Quickly add peanuts to syrup and pour mixture over popped corn. Working quickly with a large wooden spoon, toss mixture together, covering popcorn as evenly as possible. When mixture is cool enough to handle, break into bite-size pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 12 cups
SALTED CARAMEL POTS DE CREME
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
6 egg yolks
For garnish: sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, heat cream, milk, vanilla, and salt just until mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat; set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until color changes to amber. Remove pan from heat and slowly whisk in cream mixture until combined. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs together. Whisk in about half of caramel mixture into beaten egg yolks until combined. Add remaining caramel, whisking constantly. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large liquid measuring cup. Divide mixture between 6 (6-ounce) ramekins or heatproof jars. Place ramekins in a large baking dish and place dish on a baking rack. Carefully pour enough water in the baking dish to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover entire dish with foil, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Center of each ramekin should still be undercooked but edges firm. Remove ramekins from pan and let cool. When ready to serve, sprinkle each with sea salt.
Yield: 6 servings
CARAMEL APPLE BUTTER
This is a delicious spread for shortbread, toast, pound cake, or even by the spoonful!
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 pounds apples such as Fuji, Envy, or Granny Smith, cored and quartered
1½ cup sugar
½ cup water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with oil. Add apples and toss. Roast for 1 hour or until apples are golden. Remove pan from oven; set aside. When apples have cooled, place in bowl of a food processor and pulse several times. In a heavy-bottom saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and water. Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 350 degrees. Swirl pan to even out color, and slowly whisk in cream. Lower heat and add butter, whisking mixture until it is thick and smooth. Remove from heat and add brown sugar, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and salt. Stir until well combined. With food processor on, pour caramel in a steady stream into apple mixture and purée until slightly smooth. Place mixture in jars and keep refrigerated.
Yield: 3 cups
APPLE SNOW WITH CARAMEL SAUCE
This is an adaptation from an old recipe from Julia Child.
4 large egg whites, room temperature
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups cold, thick Caramel Apple Butter (recipe on left)
½ cup Caramel Sauce (recipe page 53)
For garnish: sliced Granny Smith apples
With mixer, beat egg whites on low speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and sugar slowly, and then increase speed to high. Beat egg whites until very stiff with shiny peaks. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add Caramel Apple Butter. Continue beating mixture at high speed until mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape. Divide apple snow between 4 to 6 goblets or stemless wine glasses. The snow can be refrigerated at this point for several hours or served immediately. When ready to serve, drizzle Caramel Sauce over each glass. Garnish with apple slices if desired.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
