Caramel Peanut Crunch Recipes

CRUNCHY PEANUT CARAMEL NOUGAT CANDY BAR

Steps:

• Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang on each side.
• For the nougat: Combine the peanut butter, vanilla and marshmallow cream in a large mixing bowl and reserve. Combine the sugar, cream and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir with a heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves. Fit the saucepan with a candy thermometer and continue monitoring until the mixture starts to turn a light amber color and the temperature reaches 250 degrees F, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Once your nougat hits 250 degrees F, remove from the heat and add to the marshmallow mixture. Mix together to completely combine, but don't overwork. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Turn out the nougat into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula coated in nonstick spray. Place in the refrigerator to cool and get going on your next layer, the caramel.
• For the caramel filling: Add the sugar, cream and corn syrup to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Carefully stir to combine with a heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves and bring the mixture to a boil. Stop stirring and boil until the mixture begins to turn an amber color and reaches 250 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, carefully, as it will foam up. (Adding the butter at the end will stop the cooking and keeps your caramel soft and chewy.) Keep stirring until it's all dissolved, and then stir in the peanuts. As tempting as it may be, never stick your finger in hot caramel to taste, sugar burns and hurts!
• Pour the caramel over the nougat and spread evenly with the spatula. Place in the refrigerator until the caramel is completely cool, 15 minutes.
• Transfer the candy to a cutting board. Cut lengthwise into thirds and then across in nine 1-inch rectangles, using a sharp knife that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. You can mark the caramel nougat with your knife as a guide before cutting out your bars.
• For the chocolate: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and is smooth, 8 to10 minutes. Dip each candy piece and completely cover with chocolate on all sides, using two forks, allowing the excess to drip off. Place on a wire cooling rack for the excess to drip off while you dip all of the bars. Once the bars are dipped, transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow the chocolate to set in the fridge at least 20 minutes.

CARAMEL-PEANUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• Put popcorn (popped from 1/2 cup kernels) and peanuts in a large buttered bowl; set aside. Follow recipe for basic caramel, reducing sugar to 1 1/4 cups (do not reduce water). Remove caramel from heat, and use a clean wooden spoon to gently stir in butter and salt (caramel will bubble); stir until smooth. Pour caramel over popcorn, stirring to coat. Stir mixture every few minutes until cool. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

HONEY-ROASTED PEANUT AND PRETZEL CARAMEL CORN CRUNCH

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, cook the coconut sugar, honey, brown rice syrup and peanuts over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer registers 290 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the popcorn and pretzels to a large heatproof bowl. Pour the sugar mixture over the popcorn and pretzels, and quickly stir to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spreading out the caramel corn. Sprinkle with salt and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

PEANUT BRITTLE AND CARAMEL CRUNCH ICE CREAM PIE

Steps:

• For caramel sauce:
• Place cream in small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring just to simmer. Mix in butter and sea salt; set vanilla cream aside.
• Stir sugar, 1/3 cup water, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla cream (mixture will bubble). Set sauce aside.
• For pie:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 9-inch-diameter pie dish with foil. Finely grind graham crackers and brown sugar in processor. Add butter and vanilla; blend until moist crumbs form. Add nuts; blend just until finely chopped. Using plastic wrap as aid, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and up sides of foil-lined pie dish. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until brown, about 15 minutes. Freeze 1 hour. Using foil, lift crust from dish; carefully peel off foil. Return crust to pie dish. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over bottom of crust. Freeze 30 minutes. Spoon 1 1/2 pints ice cream into crust; smooth top. Drizzle 3 tablespoons peanut butter over, then 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup brittle. Freeze 1 hour. Spoon remaining 1 1/2 pints ice cream over; smooth top. Drizzle 2 tablespoons peanut butter over, then 2 tablespoons sauce. Sprinkle edge of pie with 1/2 cup brittle. Freeze 4 hours. DO AHEAD: Pie can be made 3 days ahead; tent with foil and freeze. Cover and chill remaining sauce.
• Cut pie into wedges. Rewarm sauce and pass separately.

CARAMEL PEANUT BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; stir in butter. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. , In a heavy saucepan or microwave, melt caramels with cream, stirring often. Sprinkle chocolate chips and peanuts over the crust; top with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

RAW CARAMEL PEANUT CRUNCH BARS

Steps:

• Line a 10cm x 20cm loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.
• Place the dates, peanut butter and vanilla in a food processor and process for 2-4 minutes or until the mixture comes together into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl, add the puffed rice and peanuts and mix to combine. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base of the tin (see note).
• Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (the bowl shouldn't touch the water) and stir until melted. Pour the chocolate over the slice and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or until set. Remove the slice from the tin and cut into bars using a hot knife. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Do Ahead
• Keep bars refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

PEANUT CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Place popcorn and peanuts in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, , molasses, butter and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 2-3 minutes without stirring., Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture will foam). Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well., Transfer to a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 250° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from pan and place on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

CARAMEL CRUNCH

Steps:

• Make the caramel crunch: Line a rimmed baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water; mixture should look like wet sand. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until sugar is dark amber in color. Immediately pour caramel onto prepared baking sheet; let cool completely.
• Crack cooled caramel into large pieces and place in a resealable plastic bag. Crush into tiny pieces using a rolling pin; you should have a scant 1/2 cup of caramel crunch.

CARAMEL PEANUT CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Pour Caramel Bits into a microwave-safe bowl, with 2 teaspoons of water and microwave in 30 minute increments, stirring in between each heating. It took 1 ½ minutes to melt the caramels with only a few left unmelted. Stirring the warm, creamy caramel allowed the last chunks to completely melt and be incorporated.
• Pour the jar of peanuts into the caramel and stir to completely coat all peanuts.
• Drop by spoonful onto a buttered or greased sheet of wax paper, or a silicone baking mat. Allow the caramel clusters to cool and set up, about 10 minutes.
• While the clusters cool, prepare the dipping chocolate. In a microwave-safe bowl add the butter and chocolate. Breaking the chocolate into small pieces along the perforations to helps it melt more quickly.
• Again, 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring in between each, will help the chocolate melt quickly and prevent burning or scorching. After 1 ½ minutes, you may still have a few soft chunks of chocolate in the mixture, but stirring will allow them to melt and be combined with the melted chocolate dip.
• After the chocolate is melted, dip each cluster into the chocolate and turn it to be sure all sides are covered. Lift the cluster out of the chocolate on the tines of a fork. Gently tap the fork handle against the rim of the bowl, allowing excess chocolate to drip through the tines of the fork, back into the bowl.
• Place the clusters back onto the prepared surface and leave them to cool and harden 1 to 2 hours.

PEANUT BUTTER PARFAIT WITH SALTED CARAMEL CRUNCH

Steps:

• Whisk the cream with the vanilla until just starting to stiffen. In a separate bowl, beat the peanut butter with the icing sugar to slacken, then fold the peanut butter mixture and the crushed banana chips into the cream. Tip into a container and chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
• To serve, paint a stripe of salted caramel sauce over two large plates, then scatter the stripe with the crushed brittle.
• Using a dessert spoon, scoop the parfait into an oval shape (a quenelle) and sit it on one side of the plate. Top the parfait with a standing row of three banana chips, then serve.