Pecan Nut Caramels Recipes

PECAN CARMEL CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Place caramels, butter, and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in pecans.
• Drop caramel pecan mixture by spoonfuls onto parchment paper. Place in freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Dip each caramel cluster into chocolate using a fondue fork until coated; place on parchment paper to dry. Chill until firm, if necessary.

CARAMEL PECANS

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil; grease the foil with 2 teaspoons butter and set aside., In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugars, corn syrup, 1 cup cream and the remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Slowly stir in the remaining cream. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Let stand until firm. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

BUTTERY PECAN CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, extending foil over edges. Lightly butter foil. Set aside.
• Combine sugar, 1 cup half & half, corn syrup and butter in 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally,15-18 minutes or until mixture comes to a full boil.
• Add remaining half & half. Continue cooking, stirring often, 45-55 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 245°F or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball.
• Pour into prepared pan. Cover; refrigerate just 1-1 1/2 hours or until firm.
• Cut into 64 pieces. Drop 1/4 teaspoon melted chocolate on top of each caramel; press pecan half into chocolate. Cover; store refrigerated.

PECAN CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil; grease the foil with butter. Set aside. , In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1 cup cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until smooth and blended, about 10 minutes. Stir in milk and remaining cream. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), about 25 minutes. , Remove from the heat; stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Cool. Using foil, lift candy out of pan; cut into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper.

CARAMEL PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Pour pecan halves into greased 9x13" pan and place into oven for 5 minutes.
• Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup and cook until sugar is dissolved (this takes at least 3-4 minutes).
• Remove pecans from oven and pour into saucepan/caramel mixture.
• Stir to coat and pour back into 9x13" pan.
• Place back into oven for 45-60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes or so.
• Remove pan and spread pecans onto parchment paper or silpat (I've used wax paper but it sticks at times-if it does put in fridge and remove when cold).
• Separate pecans as they cool (2 forks work well).
• I often HALF this because I can't keep out of them!

PECAN CARAMELS ("GLORIAS")

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the condensed milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns to a light caramel color (240 degrees F on a candy thermometer), about 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and incorporate the pecans. Let cool for about 8 minutes. Roll into 2-ounce pieces and wrap with parchment paper.

PECAN-CARAMEL SPIDERS

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
• Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
• Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
• Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
• Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

CARAMEL-DIPPED PECANS

Steps:

• Gently insert an 8-inch wooden skewer into each pecan. Set aside.
• Prepare an ice bath, and set aside. Combine the sugar, water, and cream of tartar in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Cook, without stirring, until the mixture begins to brown. Gently swirl the pan to color evenly. Remove from heat when caramel is a rich amber color, and place pan in ice bath for 5 seconds to stop the cooking.
• Allow caramel to sit, until slightly thickened, for about 15 minutes. (To test: Dip a wooden spoon into the caramel, and lift it several inches over the pan; if a drip slowly forms and then hardens, the caramel is ready.) When caramel is ready, dip pecans, lifting up and swirling slightly to fully coat. Hold skewer over the pan to allow the drip to lengthen and slightly harden, about 1 minute. If necessary, use a pair of scissors to cut the drip from the caramel remaining in the pan. Place skewers on an inverted baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and allow the caramel to completely harden, about 5 minutes. If desired, stand skewers upright in flower foam or a heavy container until ready to serve. Gently remove skewers before serving.