Best Black Pepper And Bourbon Caramel Chews Recipes

SOFT 'N' CHEWY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; grease foil with 2 teaspoons butter. Cube remaining butter. In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in remaining cream. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 250° (hard-ball stage), stirring frequently. Remove from the heat; stir in cubed butter and vanilla until well mixed, about 5 minutes. , Pour into prepared pan. Cool. Remove foil from pan; cut candy into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

SALT AND PEPPER CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving some paper hanging over the edges of the dish. Spray the parchment and the exposed sides of the dish with cooking spray.
• Combine the cream, butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter melts; remove from the heat and set aside.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally, until the syrup is medium-amber colored and registers 310 to 320 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Return to medium heat and cook until the caramel reaches 245 degrees F. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and 2 teaspoons peppercorns. Pour the caramel into the prepared dish and tap it against the counter a few times to help get rid of air bubbles. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons peppercorns. Let cool to room temperature. Cover the baking dish and let set completely, 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Lift the caramel out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang and transfer on the paper to a cutting board. Cut the caramels into candies with a very sharp knife. (If the caramels stick to your knife, spray your knife with nonstick cooking spray.) Cut squares of wax paper a little bigger than your caramels. Wrap each caramel in a piece of wax paper and twist the ends closed. Caramels will keep at room temperature for about 2 weeks.

VANILLA MARSHMALLOWS

Steps:

• Pour 3/4 cup/180 milliliters cold water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the gelatin on top, and set aside until the gelatin has absorbed the liquid and expanded, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the granulated sugar, corn syrup and the remaining 3/4 cup/180 milliliters water to a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan or have an instant-read thermometer at hand. Boil until the syrup reaches 240 degrees, 5 to 6 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
• Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, turn to low and slowly add the syrup, pouring it down the sides of the bowl. Add the extract and the vanilla-bean seeds (or extra extract). When the syrup is fully incorporated, gradually increase the mixer speed to high, and whip until the mixture is thick and cooled to room temperature, about 12 minutes.
• While the marshmallow mixture is whipping, coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Combine the cornstarch and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl, then generously dust the inside of the pan with some of the cornstarch mixture. (It's important that the bottom of the pan be very well covered.)
• Coat a plastic bowl scraper and your hand with nonstick spray. Scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan. Use the flat side of the scraper to get the mixture into the corners of the pan and to even out the surface. Sift some of the cornstarch mixture over the top. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 4 hours before cutting.
• Cut the marshmallows: Dust a chef's knife with some of the cornstarch mixture; dust a piece of parchment paper, too. Run the knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the marshmallow mixture, then turn it out onto the parchment. Cut the slab into 1 1/2-inch squares. Dust all sides of the marshmallows with the cornstarch mixture by dropping a few marshmallows at a time into the bowl, tossing them around and then tossing each one from hand to hand to shake off the excess. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

SOFT CHEWY CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. pan with foil; grease the foil with 1 tablespoon butter. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt remaining butter. Add the brown sugar, milk and corn syrup. Cook and stir until candy thermometer reads 250° (hard-ball stage). , Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool completely before cutting.