Thursday, December 11, 2008

Chewy little chunks of gold.



We made these little beauties a few weeks ago and this small bowl full is all we have left! They were so delicious and addictive. Everyone who has dropped by recently was given one to "taste test" and there was not one person who could stop at only one.


I got this recipe from my new bloggy friend Mica. She is homeschooling as well and makes the sweetest dollies in her spare time. I was drawn to the recipe because it seemed simple enough... short ingredient list, easy instructions... well...


My history with candy recipes has not been good. I'm not sure if I have a bogus candy thermometer or if I am just not patient enough. Probably the second reason is the true one... yeah, I'm pretty sure of that.


History seemed to be repeating itself as I stood for half an hour, then an hour, then an hour and a half stirring, feeling that surely I had failed again. I called my super friend TLC who actually cooks and bakes well, and in my panic asked her what was wrong with me! The temperature of the caramel was supposed to reach 250 degrees... mine was stuck on 225 for.ev.er. Mind you, I was standing at the stove for almost an hour and a half stirring constantly, with only a few breaks to study the recipe again. Hmm, funny how that little card could give me no comfort. But, to my surprise, as I poured out my woes to said friend, the temperature rose. Angelic voices could be heard singing "Hallelujah!", or maybe that was just me. Maybe it was the magical voice of my friend on the other line that finally made the temp. rise those last few degrees.


I spent a lot of time wrapping those chewy little chunks of gold to perfection. Yep, that's me. But they sure look pretty! I will surely make this recipe again and maybe double it (will that double the stirring time, I wonder?). My neighbors will benefit from my efforts and maybe some others will too. If you get caramels from me, give me a pat on the back and congratulate my success and tell me I'm the best, akin to Willy Wonka! ;-D


~christa jean

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh I have a magical voice!! soo sweet of you. I must give you all the credit due. They turned out wonderful and if I were any of you reading this I would wish for some for Chrismas. Luvs TLC

Youthful One said...

Wait a minute!
Tuesday night I was at your sister's and SHE was talking about making caramels too!
Is there some kind of competition going on?
If so, can I be a judge? :D

Since you didn't post the recipe, I went digging on Mica's blog to find it. Any idea how it turns out using brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup? If you don't know, I may have to tell you after we make it. :D

The Everett Seven said...

I can verify that they are DELISH! And, that it is impossible to only eat one,two,or possibly three in one setting. Good Work!

christa jean said...

Ha ha, I think she's making some for our dad who is the caramel king! Maybe we should let him be the judge! ;-D

And no, I'm not sure how the brown rice syrup would work... I would have liked to substitute some things too, but I'm just not confident enough to try it yet. Let me know if it works!

Unknown said...

They were divine!

Unknown said...

I am so happy for you... yet sorry you stood there so long. I guess it took mine a while too ! Not sure how long I was there stirring the stuff. I probably even turned up the temp. I don't even remember. Good stuff though huh ? Yours looks too pretty to eat. I am glad you made them . Hugs to you and yours and the one in the oven, Mica