easy chocolate-covered caramels
Even with all my reluctance towards sweets lately (seriously... what's up with that?) I never get sick of caramel. I could eat my body weight in caramel and still want more! I try to limit myself to only making caramels once a year, at Christmas, but when I do make them, they're spectacular! This year I decided to go all out and add a chocolate drizzle over the top, and it was definitely the way to go! The caramels are soft and buttery while still firm enough to hold their shape, and the chocolate just adds a little sweetness and charm. I'm planning to give these out as gifts to my neighbors, and I'm guessing we'll be the most popular family on the block. :)
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the caramel is pretty foolproof. You don't even need a candy thermometer! You'll know it's done when it gets to be a rich amber color and has thickened. These caramels are a little lighter than I usually make them, so they're not quite as firm as they should be, but they're delicious either way. I think they're best stored in the fridge and eaten cold. I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need to make another batch before Christmas, but it appears to be a losing battle...
Easy Soft Caramels
adapted from Annie's Eats
1 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
Prepare a 9 x 9 baking dish by lining with foil, and spraying liberally with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until butter is melted, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium high, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, until caramel has turned a rich amber color and thickened slightly. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate until completely cooled.
To make the chocolate drizzle, I just used candy melts (available at Michael's, Joann, even Walmart) and melted about 1/4 cup in a microwave safe bowl. I put the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag, snipped a small piece off the corner, drizzled the chocolate over the caramels, and then returned them to the fridge to harden.
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