Black Licorice Caramels

This recipe is directly from Mel's Kitchen, I am putting it here, just in case she takes her's down, these are amazing! We gave them out to friends for Christmas

 

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup water
• 2 cups (424 g) sugar
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup (340 g) light corn syrup
• ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter
• 2 teaspoons anise extract (see note)
• ½ teaspoon black food coloring paste, optional; see note
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Butter an 8X8- or 9X9-inch pan and set aside.
• In a heavy-bottomed at least 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. 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. 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.

  NOTES

  Anise Extract: ok, let’s talk. Anise extract is the classic licorice flavor. It is available in well-stocked grocery stores or online; I bought mine on Amazon (The Star Kay White brand which looks like is currently unavailable) and would encourage you to get pure anise extract not imitation (if there even is such a thing). 

  Anise Oil: I have seen anise oil here and there and I know nothing about it so if you go that route do some research into the potency of the oil. Too much and you’ll be hating life and licorice caramels. 

  Extract Amount: I played around with amounts of anise through test batches of these caramels and 2 teaspoons is perfect for my taste but feel free to add more or less depending on how you like the flavor. 

  Food Coloring: also, the black food coloring is optional. Of course it gives the caramels a look to match their flavor but it doesn’t add to the flavor, if that makes sense, so if you are opposed to artificial coloring, you can leave it out but by all means, if you are using it, use the paste/gel and not the liquid.

Aunt Shirley's Toffee

Writing this up makes me a little sad. The first time I wrote this up Aunt Shirley was still making these toffees every year for everyone… she is now gone. These are amazing! 

She actually wrote out the recipe for me at my wedding shower. ❤️

1 C Butter

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 C Light Corn Syrup (Karo/Lily)

2 1/4 C Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

Melt butter and other ingredients, cook on medium heat stirring CONSTANTLY. Cook until medium to hard ball, add 1 tsp of vanilla. Pour into a greased pan. Cut and wrap. 

Notes: 

I let the sugar mixture get to 243 degrees and the toffee consistency turned out perfectly.

I greased a cookie sheet so that the toffees would come out easier, however my standard sized cookie sheet was too big for this recipe, so I propped up the sheet a bit to make at least some of the toffees thicker. Next time I’ll use a smaller sheet.

Kool Aid Popcorn

 Other than my dad of course, my all time favorite teacher was grade three with Mrs. Schow. She was funny, but more importantly for my little grade three heart, she made us food all the time! She made us rice crispy squares, rainbow jello, melt in your mouth cookies, and this stuff!! This year I used it as Dr Seuss Popcorn! 

​Ingredients:

2 C Sugar

1 C Light Corn Syrup

2/3 C Butter

2 pkgs Koolaid 

12 C Popped Popcorn 

​Method: 

Spread the popcorn evenly over a cookie sheet. Boil the sugar, syrup, and butter together for three minutes. Stir in soda and Koolaid. Pour sugar mixture over popcorn. 

Bake in a 225 degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring popcorn every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and break up immediately. 

*I halved the recipe for four different kinds of Koolaid and when mixed all together it made a huge bowl! 

Kaleen's Caramel Sauce

 

I looked for a caramel sauce I didn't burn for years! Kaleen finally found a winner! melting the butter on top helps a bit with crystallization! 

Ingredients

1 cup (207g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (120ml) water

1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

Method

1. In a medium to large sauce pan, combine the granulated sugar and water. I add the water first and slowly add the sugar to try and keep the sauce from crystallizing. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the butter and let it melt

2. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. STOP whisking and DON'T whisk at all during this part to help avoid crystallization. Allow to boil until the mixture turns a deep golden copper color, about 10-15 minutes, maybe longer depending on your stove. Keep an eye on it, but do not stir. If needed, you can occasionally tip the pan from side to side to help things cook evenly.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add in the heavy whipping cream in a slow, steady stream. The caramel will bubbly up quite a bit, so be careful with this step. Whisk quickly and well as you add the cream, whisking until well combined.

4. Add the vanilla extract and half a teaspoon of salt and whisk to combine. Add additional salt to your desired saltiness.

5. Allow the caramel sauce to cool. It will be fairly thin, but will thicken as it cools. Store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Amy's Amazing Popcorn

Amy brought this over for Super Bowl Sunday and her stuff was amazing! When I tried her recipe it is good... but it is always better when someone else makes it. This isn't a chewy caramel corn it is crunchy, but still totally yummy!

Coconut Caramel Popcorn

Growing up I hated the taste of coconut, I could taste it in anything even if it was a very small amount. With each pregnancy my love of coconut grows, this last pregnancy being the strongest. I have tried a peach coconut smoothie, coconut cookies, and coconut popcorn all in the last three days, although (sadly) the first two didn't make it to the blog the popcorn is amazballs!!! 

I looked at quite a few recipes to get to this one. So it may be jumbled all together, sorry! 

Ingredients 

8 C Popped Popcorn

3/4 C Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt (I just sprinkled in one shake)

6 TBsp Butter

3 TBsp Light Corn Syrup

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Coconut Extract

1 1/2 C Toasted Coconut

1. After your popcorn is popped, grease a cookie sheet, and turn your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Bring sugar, salt, butter and light corn syrup to a boil. Let boil for 1-2 minutes. 

3. Take mixture off of the heat and add baking soda, coconut extract, and toasted coconut to mixture.

4. Pour coconut mixture over popcorn. Pour popcorn mixture onto well greased cookie sheet. 

5. Place in oven for 6-7 minutes, take popcorn out and stir, then place back in oven for another 6-7 minutes. Take out, let cool... if you can... enjoy! YUMMERS!

I also tried it on puffed corn... I could taste the butter too strongly, but if you like the taste of butter and coconut, try it out! 

Sister Karen Daley's Puffed Corn Crack

This stuff is SO good it really should be outlawed! We took it on a trip to UT with us, and everyone who tried it wanted the recipe. Super good stuff!

Ingredients 

1 Stick of Butter melted

1 C Karo (light corn syrup)

2 C Sugar

Boil for six minutes then take off the heat and add

1 Can (14oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

Add the mixture to 

3 bags of Puffed Corn

After I mixed it I set it out on wax paper no good! Just put it out on either a greased surface or a non stick surface. Break apart every ten minutes or so.

Then enjoy! 

Busted!

Canadian Eat-More Bars

While I was in Canada this last time I asked my Grandma Stone for her hot fudge recipe for ice cream. While I was at her house she couldn't find it, but she was sure that she hadn't thrown it away, so she gave me her recipe box and told me I could go through it! I found SO many treasures in that little silver box! I HAD to try this one first!

REAL Canadian Eat-More Bars

In a medium sized sauce pan melt:

1 C Chocolate Chips (I used milk chocolate, and they were a bit lighter than real Canadian Eatmores but                                          they still tasted super good!)

½ C Honey

Stir over low-medium heat (don’t burn your chocolate chips) until all chocolate chips are melted and mixed in with honey.

Melt in:

½ C Peanut Butter

Then add dry ingredients (I had pre mixed them into a small bowl for easy mixing in the sauce pan)

¼ C Roasted Sunflower Seeds

½ C Crushed Peanuts

½ C Wheat Germ 

Simmer until all ingredients are mixed. I simmered mine for about four minutes, stirring the entire time, and they turned out great! The longer you simmer the harder they will be! Place on a cookie sheet and roll out. Wait for them to cool a little bit, and then cut. I placed mine on wax paper and the wax paper stuck to them, so I would either do it straight on my cookie sheet next time or spray my wax paper with a bit of Olive Oil. ENJOY these!

Easy Peasy Doughnuts

-cooking oil in either a deep fryer or a frying pan
-1 roll of Texas style biscuits (not the flaky kind)
- melted butter
-mixed sugar and cinnamon

cut a hold out of the middle of biscuit, place in hot oil until golden brown, then place into melted butter and then into sugar mixture. enjoy!

Aunt Shirley's Toffee

EVERYONE loves Aunt Shirley’s Toffees. There is just something about them, the extra love she puts in? who knows, all I know is we all LOVE them! Corbyn couldn’t keep his hands off of them while I was trying to take a picture of them, little stinker! she gave me the bottom recipe at my bridal shower

1 C butter (do not use margarine)
1 can eagle brand milk
1 C Lily syrup (white)
2 1/4 C brown sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

Melt butter add other ingredients and cook on medium heat STIRRING CONSTANTLY. Cook until medium to hard ball, add 1 tsp of vanilla pour in pan to set. Cut and wrap.