Caramel Brownies

My ABSOLUTE favorite. I made a second pan of these just so I could eat one myself! My mom always made these, and my sister's and I love them. I can't imagine Christmas without at least one batch of these. I've made them during the year at times, but something about them just feels like Christmas too me. I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe, but it's the only thing I use a box mix for anymore. This year I couldn't find caramel squares ANYWHERE. So I used the new caramel dot things. They actually are a few ounces smaller than the old caramel square bags were but my husband liked it better with less of the caramel. I also use less chips. I just like the balance better myself, but to each his own!

Caramel Brownies
½ C evaporated milk
50 unwrapped caramels squares (about 14 oz)
½ C evaporated Milk
1 package German chocolate cake mix
¾ C butter melted
1 C walnuts chopped (I prefer pecans but I think my mom and sisters would have a heart attack if I actually changed the recipe to SAY pecans)
12 oz Chocolate chips
Mix ½ C milk, cake mix, butter, and walnuts. Press 2/3 dough in bottom of glass pan (9x13) cook at 350 for 6 mins. In sauce pan melt ½ C milk and caramels pour over cooked crust. Sprinkle chocolate and rest of dough on top cook 15-20 min at 350

Chocolate Caramel Tart

I'm not dead, just sick family and late at posting

So this month for our Chocolate Therapy we chose Tarts. Since She likes fruit and I like Caramel we chose different Tart Recipes. Although I plan on making the same tart as she did for a suprise for my Hubby soon. I picked a Caramel Chocolate tart I had seen on many Daring Bakers pages back in Aug 07. I've been wanting to make it since then and now I can say I did. It wasn't too hard or even very time consuming. I did run into a little issue that I'll fix the next time I make it (definatly a repeat)

Chocolate Shortbread Crust
Single 10 inch crust

9 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, room temp
5 Tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C plus 3 Tbs flour
1/4 C Cocoa
1/2 C ground nut (I used Pecans, but macadamia, or almonds would work too)

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy about 1.5 mins. Add the flour and mix until light and fluffy about 2 mins. Gather dough in ball and press into bottom and sids of a 9 or 10 inch tart pan. Cook at 300 for 40-45 mins, let cool before filling. (if cooking more with your pie then cut time in half)

The crust was easy enough. I made a double batch and filled 2 tart pan with a bit of dough to spare. We made a few cookies out of the rest. I was suprised how good it was. I was worried that it needed a bit more sugar. And while a little more sugar would have made it a bit better, it was still quite good.

Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart
1 10-inch round tart

half baked shortbread crust
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tbs corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup butter
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 ½ tablespoons flour
1 ¼ cups whipping cream
½ lb dark chocolate

In a sauce pan bring the sugar, water and syrup to a boil over medium high. When the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and wait until it turns a golden caramel color. Incorporate the heavy cream and then add butter. Mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, beat the whole eggs with the extra egg yolk, then incorporate the flour.
Pour this into the cream-caramel mixture and mix thoroughly.
Spread it out in the tart shell and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Prepare the milk chocolate mousse: beat the whipping cream until stiff. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or in a bain-marie, and fold it gently into the whipped cream.
Pour the chocolate mousse over the cooled caramel mixture, smoothing it with a spatula. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator.

Here is where I ran into some difficulties. I'm not sure WHAT happened. It might have been the visitors I had in the middle of the crucial step of making the caramel... My caramel never reached the color I wanted, and then started to separarate. I am still kicking myself that I just didn't start over at this faze. I've made caramel enough that I should have known better. In the end it was a sweet sugary jelly type center. That had nice texture, but was missing the cooked caramel flavor that I was going for!!! I turned it down too low since some visitors came by, and I shouldn't have done that.
But over all we all really liked it. It was a great balance between the super thick and crunchy crust, the sweet center and the dark chocolate thick, yet creamy mousse. I am looking forward to trying it again, but cooking the caramel right. I'll update you!
I have one more tart recipe to make for the month, but it will have to wait until March, as there are few days left this month and they are all a bit on the full side.

On the Seventh day of Christmas

I made Caramel's. I've always enjoyed getting them on goodie plates, but scared to try them. But with all the new stuff I've challenged myself to learn I thought it was about time to tackle them. And they turned out GREAT! Definitely one to repeat every year.

Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffle

So this was my second recipe for the month. I made it about 2 mins after I finished the first batch. This one was a bit more involved, but still super easy. And who doesn't like Caramel and Chocolate? I bought some Fleur De Sel last week for a Caramel cheesecake I'm hoping to try soon, so I had everything on hand.

Caramel Dark Chocolate

makes about 30

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon Fleur De Sel

Melt chocolate in double boiler, stir until chocolate is smooth. Remove chocolate from over water.
Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, swirling pan occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Stir over very low heat until caramel is smooth. Mix caramel and 1/4 teaspoon Fleur De Sel into melted chocolate. Chill until truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours.
Using 1 tablespoon truffle filling for each truffle, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa. Chill overnight.
Optional: Line 13x9x2-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 12 ounces chocolate in Double Boiler. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Working quickly, submerge 1 truffle in melted chocolate. Using fork, lift out truffle and tap fork against side of bowl to allow excess coating to drip off. Transfer truffle to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles. Sprinkle truffles lightly with additional Fleur De Sel. Let stand until coating sets, at least 1 hour. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

I was disappointed that there wasn't a stronger Caramel taste, in fact I don't think there was one at ALL. Knowing that Caramel went INTO the truffle I really tried to taste it, but to no avail. And no one else who tried it could taste it either. And these truffles were much softer/squishier than the other batch. So I'm wondering if I should have left it on low for longer, hoping that it the Caramel mixture would thicken up a bit and become more flavorful. I'm willing to try again at the hopes that it will. Also I didn't bother with the last/optional step. I didn't want the two truffles to get confused so I rolled these in Christmas colored extra large sprinkles. I have to say I LOVED the crunch. In hindsight the crunch would have been better with the other truffles and the cocoa would have been better with these. Next time... Also as an aside. I won't bother with melting the chocolate, I'll chop the chocolate up more and use the "rest for 5 mins" trick that the last recipe used.