So, after a bit of a break spending time visiting my family in New York, I am back and ready to do some serious cooking, baking and experimenting. I got a really super informative and awesome candy making book from C and it got me really excited at the prospect of using new/interesting ideas and techniques and translating them into tasty, vegan versions.
The first thing I tackled, just to get my feet wet in the candy making arena, was caramel. I found that coconut milk turned out to be a super substitute for the heavy cream/sweetened condensed milk ingredients. Also, not until reading this book did I know all of the nuances and different types of caramels. I decided to go with the ooey, gooey delicious caramel that I knew and loved. And apparently, the texture of your caramels depend on what temperature you raise your mixture to, so it is pretty darned important that if you want to venture this way, you get yourself a good candy thermometer. I have the kind that clips onto the side of my pot and I can peek at the temp without fussing around and having a free hand to keep it in place. Ok, ok....onto the good stuff....
What you'll need for the caramels:
2/3 c. brown rice syrup
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. Earth Balance (or your fav. butter substitute)
1/8 tsp. salt
To coat with chocolate:
8 oz semi sweet chocolate
Also, before you proceed, you will need parchment paper of sorts, OR if you are awesome, you have discovered the secret of the Silpat mats, which I used to pour my caramel mixture onto. This thing (Silpat) is amazing, and the caramel was a true test of its non-stickness. So be prepared or proceed with caution!
In a medium-large pot, set to medium heat and combine all of the ingredients listed above. Stir to melt/incorporate all of the ingredients. Clip on your thermometer and keep an eye on the temperature. Keep stirring your mixture constantly so it does not burn, as you will have this come to a boil. It might even look like a crazy, bubbly mess. Cook until the temperature of the caramel reaches 240F degrees (115C). Pour onto your Silpat mat, or your pan lined with parchment paper. Cool at room temperature until it is firm.
I was anxious to start on covering them with chocolate and gave it a try a few hours later. BAD IDEA! Like the good book says, it is better to wait at least 24 hours before attempting to cut the caramel, and I, like an amateur, tried anyways. However, I tried again the next day and although the caramel was still soft, it was not as sticky as the day before.
So, this caramel was pretty darn good on its own. However, if you wish to turn them into little nuggets of deliciousness, shape your caramel into 1" logs and put them in the freezer while you temper your chocolate. Then, they should stay formed like the shapes in the picture below. Again, speaking from experience, the caramel as is, is far to soft and delicate and the heated chocolate will melt the caramels and they will turn into weird (albeit still yummy), flat discs.
I found using a fork to hold the caramels, and a spoon to pour over the chocolate worked best for me. Place on parchment paper, saran wrap or another sort of non-stick surface and let cool. If you are in a fancy mood, after your chocolates have hardened, dip your spoon in the chocolate and in a fast, zig zag motion, swing the spoon over your chocolate covered caramels. This adds a pretty, decorative finish to your candies. I also used some sea salts of half of my chocolates, cause I like 'em like that!
And then, make more...Those are my plans, anyways!
