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Add a photoIf you don't like black licorice, please don't assume these caramels won't taste good. I promise you, that they are chewy and yet become soft, as you begin to enjoy them. They have just the slightest hint of licorice, with notes of vanilla and butter. Even "licorice haters" liked these. Licorice lovers (like myself) went crazy over these. They aren't terribly difficult to make, though it's important that you have a few tools to make the job more efficient. These are going to be a portion of my Christmas gift giving, but I know I'll be making these throughout the year. Please click on the link to my blog, where I'll explain how to make this, along with some tips and tricks. Recipe originally seen on "Mel's Kitchen Cafe".
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) water
- 2 cups (1 pound) sugar
- 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (12 ounces) light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 2 teaspoons anise extract*
- 1 teaspoon black food coloring paste**
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Recommended brand for Anise Extract is Star Kay brand, that I bought on Amazon.com
- Recommended black gel paste is AmeriColor Super Black #101, order on Amazon or Etsy.com
- NOTE: You don't have to add black food color, as the caramels will be a dark brown. However, I like the black color, and that it hints of licorice flavor.
Directions
- I highly recommended using a candy thermometer (that clips on the side of your pot). Candy making isn't difficult, but it's total guesswork if you don't have a reliable thermometer, that will guide you as to when the caramel has been cooked properly.
- I also bought a Chicago Metallic CMB039 Marshmallow Collection No-Bake Collapsible Pan with Cutting Gridlines, 8 by 8-Inch (under $15.00) on Amazon. It's a great tool for easily removing caramels, fudge or marshmallows. However, if you have just a plain old pan, I recommend lining it with a parchment paper "slight" and then butter it. The sling will make lifting out the caramel much less difficult.
- You will also need a very sharp chef's knife for the best ease in cutting the caramels. Sometimes, I use a little non-stick spray, on the blade of the knife to help the knife glide through the caramel cutting process.
- I used a non-stick large heavy pot, because caramel can tend to bubble up pretty high-- so use one that holds at least 4-quarts of water.
- Last, but not least, be sure to have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go. Silicone based spatulas make cleanup much easier than working with a wooden spoon...just my own experience.
- Here we go:
- In a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup, and butter.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula.
- Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, ensuring that the tip of the thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pan and is inserted at least 1-2 inches into the liquid (or according to your thermometer’s directions).
- Continue stirring gently while the mixture boils and cooks, until the caramels reach 242-244 degrees F-- this took about 40 minutes on my gas burner. If the caramels seem to be scorching on the bottom of the pan, moderate the heat to a lower temperature.
- You can also test the caramels using a spoon and dropping a pea-sized amount of the hot caramel into cold water. If the cooled piece of caramel is firm but not hard, the caramel is properly cooked.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the anise extract, food coloring, vanilla extract and salt.
- Pour the caramels into the prepared pan and allow to cool completely to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
- When cool, remove the sheet of caramels from the pan. If you invested in the collapsable pan, you simple unhinge each corner, and gently lift out the entire caramel. Easy peasy!
- Cut the caramels into pieces using a large knife or bench scraper. Wrap each caramel square in a bit of wax paper, twisting the ends to secure.
- These can store, in an airtight container (individually wrapped) for 1-2 weeks, but I doubt they will last that long!
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 16g | |
| Recipe makes 100 servings | |
| Calories 57 | |
| Calories from Fat 16 | 28% |
| Total Fat 1.85g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat 1.16g | 5% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 5mg | 2% |
| Sodium 25mg | 1% |
| Potassium 20mg | 1% |
| Total Carbs 10.06g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.0g | 0% |
| Sugars 8.35g | 6% |
| Protein 0.44g | 1% |
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