Homemade Caramels!

At this years White Elephant Auction guild member Harvy G. donated a bag of her homemade Caramels and the winning bidder paid top dollar for them! Now i will not say my recipe is as good as harvy’s but i thought i would share it with all of you that were outbid this past Monday night! Just be warned… they are easy to make but a real pain in the tush when it come time to wrap them all up in wax paper!

Soft Caramels

1 1/2c.  Sugar (i use C&H brand!)
1c.          White Corn Syrup
1/2c.     REAL Butter (1 stick, MUST be REAL BUTTER!)
1c.          Heavy Whipping Cream
1tsp.     Vanilla
1c.         Powdered Sugar
Wax Paper
Candy Thermometer

- line a 8″x8″ pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray
- mix first 4 ingredients together in a heavy pan
- place over Medium Low heat and stir until butter is completely melted and ingredients are well combined.
- using a CANDY THERMOMETER, bring the mix to 238 degrees
- remove from heat and quickly mix in the VANILLA
- pour into your foil lined pan and let cool completely.
- remove the caramel from the pan (the foil makes this MUCH easier!) and cut into desired size pieces
- roll each piece into the POWDERED SUGAR and then wrap in a piece of WAX PAPER.

Tips from Beth:
- i have made this candy for a number of years now and have learned a few things when working with it!
- first off once you add in the candy thermometer you no longer need to stand over the pan stirring as long as you use LOW heat!
- did your caramel not set up solid enough to cut & wrap it? Store it in a sealed plastic bowl and use it as a CARAMEL APPLE DIP instead… YUMMY! (cook to only 200 degrees to always get apple dip consistency!!!)
- did your caramel set up to solid to cut? Use a CLEAN meat tenderizer hammer and break it into pieces then roll in sugar and wrap. Now you have HARD CARAMEL CANDY! (cook to 300 degrees to always get hard caramel!)
- do NOT cut all the candy into small pieces then walk away from it for very long…. it will melt back together! It’s not called SOFT CARAMEL for nothing!
- i hate, hate, HATE wrapping the caramels in wax paper and i must admit when it comes time to doing that step i skip it all together! I make the caramel in a toss away foil pan, sprayed with nonstick spray. I dust the top with some powdered sugar (for looks only!) and tape a plastic knife to the lid of the pan. I let them know to keep it nice and cool, never let it get to hot. Yes i give a complete batch away when i make it for friends, its easier and not once have i heard a complaint!

- If you want smaller pieces but don’t want to mess with the wax paper try this:

2c. Milk Chocolate Chips (11.5oz.)

- line a large cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper
- cut the caramel into 1″ squares, place on the cookie sheet leaving a little space between each piece then place in the refrigerator until they are solid (1hour)
- melt chips in a small Crock-Pot on LOW (or in the Microwave until melted, string every 30 seconds)
- dip each square into the chocolate then place onto the cookie sheet leave a little space in between each piece and place back into the refrigerator until the chocolate is set.
- at this point you are pretty safe to leave them out at room temp without wrapping them individually and they will not melt back together. Just don’t let them get to warm! Now you have CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SQUARES! 

Apple Cake!

A few months back, guild member Adice F. shared her Apple Cake with us during break time at a night;y guild meeting. You may remember the tasty caramel topping the cake had! Here is a receipe that is very very close to the same one she shared! The recipe is quite old but I beleve the only difrence is how long you let the apples & sugar set before you make the cake!

Enjoy!

Apple Cake

4c.  Apples, pealed and chopped into very small pieces
2c.  Sugar

- mix the first to ingredients, cover and let set for 1 hour.
- preheat oven to 350 degrees

2          Eggs, beaten
2c.      Flour
2tsp.  Baking Soda
2tbl.  Cinnamon
1c.      Butter
1c.      Chopped Walnuts (optional)

- add EGGS to the APPLES and mix
- Add ALL OTHER INGREDIENTS and blend on medium speed
- Pour into a greased 9″x13″ cake pan
- Bake cake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean

Caramel Topping

1/2c. firm packed Brown Sugar
1/2c. White Sugar
1c. Water
4tbl. Flour

- Mix all ingredients together and cook over a Medium-Low flame until thickened.
- Pour over the cake while both cake & sauce are still hot.

Chocolate Brittle Surprise!

This past Monday the members of the Crossroads Quilters guild had our annual Christmas party! We ate a lot of food, had a gift exchange, and Secret Sisters for the 2011 year were reveled to all. And lets not forget to talk about the White Elephant Auction. This years Auction raised over $300.00 for charity! This year the selected Charity for the White Elephant Auction is The Oblong Children’s Christian Home. I am sure the money will be put to good use!

One of the many treats we sampled was called Chocolate Brittle Surprise. I got the recipe from fellow guild member Gwen O’Dell who could not be with us Monday night. A number of you asked for the recipe so here it is!

Chocolate Brittle Surprise

35 unsalted or low salt saltine crackers
1c. Butter
1c. Packed Brown Sugar
2c. Milk Chocolate Chips (11.5oz. pkg.)
1c. Chopped Pecans (optional)

- Preheat oven to 350degrees
- cover a 10″x15″ cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray
- place crackers on the sheet in rows 5 across & 7 down
- in a large microwave safe bowl, microwave the BUTTER for 2 MINUTES
- add the BROWN SUGAR to the now melted butter and microwave for 2 MINUTES,
stir the sugar, butter mix every 30 SECONDS
the mixture will bubble up so be sure to use a large microwave safe bowl!
- Pour hot mixture over the cracker and back for 17 minutes.
(should bubble NOT burn!)
- remove from oven, and sprinkle with CHOCOLATE CHIPS
once chips melt (2 minutes) spread the chips to cover the top of the crackers
- sprinkle on NUTS, if you wish.
- refrigerate for 1 hour, break into pieces & store in a air tight container.
- brittle can be frozen!

tips from Beth:

- when i melt the butter & sugar i use my large microwave safe 9c.
measuring cup! The spout comes in handy when you pour the mix over
the crackers!
- i place my hot brittle in the freezer to speed things up!
But if you want to put it in your refrigerator be sure to
protect your shelves with a couple of hot pads!

Nacho Taco Dip!

This recipe is shared by Crossroad Quilters Guild Member, Beth K.

Nacho Taco Dip

8oz. Low Fat Sour Cream
8oz. Low Fat Cream Cheese, softened
1pkg. Low Sodium Taco Seasoning Mix (Old ElPaso)

Your favorite Taco Toppings
Tortilla Chips

- Using a mixer combine the first three ingredients until very well combined.

- Place in a covered container and place in a refrigerator overnight. It is very important that it sets at least over night!
- When ready to serve, spread the mixture on a platter and top with you favorite taco toppings. Serve with Tortilla Chips and Enjoy!

Topping suggestions:

- Shredded Lettuce
- Chopped Fresh Tomatoes
- Sliced Black olives
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Hot Peppers
- Green Onions

A double batch of the recipe was brought to the guild meeting!