Chewy Salted Caramel

I want to start this post by professing my love for caramel.  Any kind of caramel.  Gooey, runny, messy caramel sauce.  Chewy, stringy, buttery caramel candies.  Crunchy, salty, rich caramel toffee.  I do not discriminate all caramel I love.  I will love anything that you put caramel on.  From chocolate, to apples, to brownies, to ice cream, heck I never met something that didn't taste better with caramel.

This time though I was out to make the chewy caramel candy. The kind that goes great on apples or plain as a little candy wrapped in waxed paper.  After looking all over at recipes I finally decided on right mix of ingredients that I thought would make the perfect caramel candy.  I had both the sugars, the half and half, and the corn syrup in the pan.  I opened the can of evaporated milk to tie it all together and lo and behold... it had curdled.  This definitely would not be a good addition!  So back to the drawing board!

Using the Caramel for a Tart

After readjusting I believed I had the prefect mix.  Caramel is both super simple and super hard to create.  There are no complicated steps to get everything set up and very little stirring, whisking, and combining.  Nearly all the ingredients go straight into a saucepan over medium heat.  After their initial stir they just sit and simmer and bubble for about half an hour.  Here is where the difficult part starts.  Finding the perfect texture is a precise science and requires either a trained eye or a candy thermometer.  

Candy Making Tips - Heating Sugar Hard Ball vs. Soft Ball

When heating sugar there are different stages.  To get the chewy caramel that holds its shape we need to get the sugar to "hard ball" stage which is roughly 250 degrees.  Cooler would be "soft ball" stage at about 235 degrees.  Soft ball stage would leave you, when cooled, with a caramel sauce perfect for ice cream.  It would pour well and run, not holding its shape.  Hotter would give you "soft crack" stage which starts at 270 degrees.  Soft crack stage would leave you with a taffy like consistency.  I decided that hard ball was the texture I was looking for here.

Soft Ball

Hard Ball

If you don't have a candy thermometer don't fret.  You can determine the stage of your candy using a glass or two of cold water.  Dunk a spoon into the hot candy and drizzle a bit of the caramel into a glass of cold water.  Hard ball stage will form a thick rope into the water.  When you take the candy out of the water it will hold its texture but, when you apply pressure you should be able to shape the candy with your fingers.  

If the candy is very stringy and when removed from the water still feels slightly soupy you are not yet at hard ball stage, rather soft ball, continue cooking!

After you have reached hard ball stage remove the candy from the heat and stir in the butter and any flavor you are using.  From there you can pour the caramel onto whatever you are making.  A wax paper lined sheet is a great place to let it cool if you are planning on slicing it for candies.  Or pour it directly into your tart shell or on top of fresh nougat.

Ingredients

Yields about 40 1-inch caramel candies 

or 1 cup of caramel

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 T. butter

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract

2 T. bourbon (optional)

Directions
1) If you are making candies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with butter thoroughly!  If you are using this for apples or cookies then you can skip this step.  Then, in a medium sauce pan place the sugar, brown sugar, half and half, and corn syrup.  Stir to combine.  If you are using a candy thermometer attach it to the side of the pan now.

No Need to Stir the Mixture - Just Let It Bubble!

2) Boil the sugar mixture over medium heat until it reaches hard ball stage (250 degrees).  If you are not using a candy thermometer read the text in the post and refer to the pictures above to determine if your candy has reached hard ball stage.  This should take about 20-30 minutes.  You do not need to stir the mixture.  It will simmer and bubble along on its own without burning if you maintain the heat at medium.  Feel free to scrap down the sides of the pan if you feel it begins to stick but the more you stir the longer it will take.

**While I'm sure you will be tempted to turn up the heat to rush this along don't!  You will risk scorching the candy or giving it a burned taste.

Adding the Bourbon - Don't Get Your Nose Too Close :)

3) When the candy has reached hard ball stage remove from the heat and stir in the butter and salt.  Add the vanilla and bourbon and stir quickly.  The vanilla and bourbon will boil quickly as soon as they hit the hot mixture and make your kitchen quickly smell like an Irish pub.  Don't worry - the flavor will be much more subtle than the smell (which could burn your nose hairs right off if you sniff the mixture quickly after adding!).

4) Pour the warm candy onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow to cool.  You can also pour this into a tart shell, on top of nougat, over apple slices, or onto cookies if stand alone candies won't meet your craving!