Fleur de Sel Vanilla Bean Caramels

By ctozzi

Ingredients

• 1 cup golden syrup (I used Steen's Syrup which I found at Walmart; you can also get Lyle's Golden Syrup from World Market)
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders, or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla beans from 1 pod + 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Details

Preparation time 5mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from keyingredient.com

Preparation

Step 1

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. (Don't skip this step - it helps prevent recrystallization of your sugars.) Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently (I did this at medium heat). Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane. (I cut out pieces of wax paper that were about 3" x 4". From a standard roll, simply cut out a strip about 3" wide, then fold in thirds and cut the strip into thirds.)


you can also dip the caramels into chococlate - use semisweet chocolate chips, or the premium chocolate of your choice. Simply use the ratio of 1 cup of chocolate chips or 8 ounces of finely chopped chocolate with 1 teaspoon of vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) and melt in the microwave or on a double boiler.