Friday, December 1, 2006

Chocolate Christmas Caramels

Tumbledown just had to have some chocolate caramel with his egg nog this evening, so away he went to try a hundred-year-old chocolate caramel recipe from the 1919 Farm Journal book How to Do Things. OK, so Tumbledown's candy-making skills were a little rusty, but how can you go wrong with a bar of Ghirardelli chocolate (grated),


Ghirardelli chocolate, ready to grate


a pint (2 cups) of sugar, a pint (2 cups) of honey and molasses, a tablespoon of vanilla extract, and a half cup of heavy cream?


Chocolate Caramels ready to heat


Well, for starters, you will need a 4 quart sauce pan. (Tumbledown had only a 3 quart pan.) A candy thermometer is a must if you do not want to check the mixture constantly by dropping it in water until you reach the "soft ball" stage, and you'll need the big baking pans (buttered) to spread the stuff a quarter inch thick.


Chocolate Caramels, ready to boil


(Tumbledown's caramel is at least 1/2 inch, which means it cools far too slowly.)


Chocolate Caramels, ready to set


Still, that rich, dark, chocolate taste sets off a glass of egg nog...just right!


mmmmm.


Tumbledown Farm

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