Chewy Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

When I was tidying my spice cabinet, I came across 3 Mars Bar chocolate bars. Apparently I had done an excellent job hiding them from myself. Many chocolate cravings have been had since those bars were stashed back there, had I remembered them, this chocolate caramel popcorn would have never been born.

I'm not sure what inspired this creation, or why it even occurred to me to melt the chocolate bars and pour them over popcorn. I've made Mars Bar Squares several times in the past, but not once had I thought to replace the rice krispies with popcorn. My bad.

I basically followed the recipe for the Mars Bar Squares, but since I only had three, (the recipe calls for four) I cut the butter back by 2 Tablespoons and held back some of the microwave popcorn. I think four would be perfect to use an entire bag of popcorn and so I've written the recipe accordingly.

For some reason, I decided to bake the popcorn after coating it with the chocolate, even though I really liked the chewiness of the unbaked popcorn. So you can go either way... if you like your caramel corn chewy, skip the baking step. However, if you prefer a little bit of crispiness along with the chew, then proceed to bake it for NO MORE than 5 minutes. The unbaked version is the perfect consistency for forming popcorn balls - should you be so inclined. 

Needless to say, this was deliciously decadent. Sweet, with a hint of salt from the the popcorn. Between me and my kids, it didn't stand a chance.

Chewy Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

(tease-spoonofsugar original)

4 Mars bars (regular sized), chopped

1/2 cup butter

1 bag of microwave popcorn (I used light)

Pop one bag of microwave pop corn and pour into a large mixing bowl. Make sure to remove any unpopped kernels. Melt the butter with the Mars bars over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes together. (It will appear to separate at one point, keep stirring). Pour over the popcorn and mix until thoroughly coated. At this point, you can eat it, if you like your popcorn chewy. If you want it partly crispy, spread over a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F. for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool, break into pieces and enjoy.

Baked's Sweet and Salty Cake

Baked's famous Sweet and Salty Cake has been on my baking 'to do' list for over a year. Being a lover of salted caramel is what drew me in, but the fact that the icing/filling for the cake contains a pound of chocolate, a pound of butter as well as caramel is something that both enticed me and scared me at the same time. And that's just one component - there's still salted caramel that is used to soak the cake layers, never mind the cake itself. Even I struggled with the calories and I never say no to dessert.

So, when my sister's 40th birthday rolled around, I knew I couldn't ask for a better excuse to try this recipe out. If turning 40 isn't a good enough reason to abandon reason and good judgment and dive head first into vat of calories and fat grams, well...when?  And, yes, I realize it wasn't 'my' birthday and so the justification didn't apply to me directly, but I figured I could take one for the team.

I googled the recipe to see how other bloggers fared with this cake and the results did nothing but make the task seem all the more daunting. It seems that more people struggled with the assembly of the cake than not, but everyone said it was delicious, despite its less-than perfect appearance. Complaints of the layers slipping and sliding were the most common, and once I made the filling/icing, it was easy to see how this could be a problem. The filling starts by making caramel, pouring the hot caramel over a pound of chocolate, letting that cool, then adding a pound of butter. The end result is the most silky, decadent filling, but it's slick and far from sturdy, the perfect substance to make your cake layers slide. As my mix master was beating this filling, and I was diligently adding the butter, it started to sound like the filling had turned to soup. I became alarmed - and actually held back the remaining butter (about 4 tablespoons). It was already delicious - I didn't think we'd miss the remaining butter.

Also, having gleaned tips from several blogs that tackled this cake, I decided to put the cake in the freezer after icing each layer, to allow the filling to set up a bit before adding the next layer. This made the assembly easier, albeit more time-consuming, but I'm happy to report that I did not experience the same struggle of slipping layers.

I also held back on some of the fleur de sel that was sprinkled between each layer. The recipe calls for a whole teaspoon between each layer, which seemed a bit excessive to me when I measured out a teaspoon.

Instead, I eyeballed it, sprinkling it on until it seemed like enough, which amounted to roughly half a teaspoon. The cake had the perfect balance of rich filling, sweet chocolate and salt.

I can't stress enough how important it is to give the cake a 10 minute rest in the freezer before adding the next layer. 

The end result was worth the time and effort. But let's be clear, this is definitely a special occasion cake.

When making the cake layers, I decided to forego the recipe used in the Baked book. I've already found my fool-proof chocolate cake and saw no need to risk trying a new recipe when there were already so many other components to tackle. So, if you're going to attempt this cake, and I strongly recommend that you find an occasion to justify it, use a chocolate cake recipe that you already love. If you don't have one, use mine. The rest of the recipe is as follows.
RECIPE FOR SWEET AND SALTY CAKE
(adapted from Baked - New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

Bake your favorite chocolate cake and use 3 x 8 inch circle pans. My favorite chocolate cake recipe can be found here.

For the Salted Caramel (used between the cake layers):

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. Fleur de Sel

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

1/4 cup sour cream

For the  Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting:

1 pound good quality chocolate (the recipe calls for dark, I used half dark, half milk chocolate)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

To assemble the cake:

1 to 2 tsp. fleur de sel (or to taste)

Directions for the Salted Caramel:

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. Keep warm. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar and corn syrup. Stir gently so as not to splash the mixture onto the sides of the pan. (Keep a wet pasty brush on hand to brush the sides of the pan should any of the mixture splash up, to keep from burning.) Cook until mixture reaches 350 degrees F. or until mixture is dark amber in color. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute. Add cream and mix until incorporated, taking care because the mixture will bubble up when the cream is added. Whisk in sour cream. Allow to come to room temperature, then place in fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Directions for the Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting:

Chop the chocolate and put into the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside. In small saucepan, bring cream to simmer over low heat. Keep warm. In a medium saucepan combine water, sugar and corn syrup. Stir gently so as not to splash the mixture onto the sides of the pan. (Keep a wet pasty brush on hand to brush the sides of the pan should any of the mixture splash up, to keep from burning.) Cook until mixture reaches 350 degrees F. or until mixture is dark amber in color. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute. Add cream and stir slowly for 2 minutes, taking care because the mixture will bubble up when the cream is added. Pour the hot caramel over the chocolate, allow to sit for about 1 minute and then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool (for about 20 minutes or more) then transfer the bowl to the mixer and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high until the mixture is fluffy. (If you find the mixture is too loose, place in the fridge for a few minutes and then beat again, which is what I did.)

Directions for Assembly:

Place one cake layer on serving platter. Spread about 1/4 cup of the salted caramel over the top. If you've refrigerated it, allow to come back to room temperature, or heat it slightly in the microwave until it's easily spreadable. Then spread about 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of fleur de sel over the frosting (I only used 1/2 tsp.). Place into the freezer for 10 minutes to set before proceeding. Once the filling has set, place second cake layer on top and spread with 1/4 cup of salted caramel. Add another 3/4 cup of frosting and sprinkle with salt. Place in freezer again until set. Add third layer, spread with caramel. Crumb coat entire cake with the frosting (a thin layer of frosting). Allow to set in the freezer. Frost the entire cake again with the frosting and garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel. Refrigerate the cake  until set but allow to sit at room temperature at least 2 hours before serving.

Brown Butter Toffee Shortbread Squares with Caramel and Chocolate

If you're totally "over" the sweet and salty combo - then you should just leave now. This recipe is not for you, unless of course you adapt it, which, come to think of it, wouldn't be hard at all (i.e. leave out the salt - or use unsalted butter - but don't do both). So I take that back, you can totally stay. 

Last year, I made a homemade version of twix bars. They were insanely good and quickly made the short list for this year's Christmas baking. However, while browsing recipes I stumbled on Toffee Squares by Joy of Cooking. They are a simple bar composed of a base of toffee-like shortbread, and then topped with chocolate and almonds. They're probably good as is, but I wouldn't know cause I went ahead and tweaked it beyond recognition.

What I ended up with was these, a buttery toffee-like shortbread base, (intensified with browned butter no less), with a chewy caramel layer, and a silky milk chocolate topping. With these squares on a plate of Christmas baking, no one is going to bother with the plain jane shortbread cookies sitting next to them. That's a fact. 

You do have to get over your type A personality though when it comes to cutting them. The base will crumble a bit, rendering it impossible to get a picture perfect square. But once you taste them, you'll get over that. I sure did.

Recipe for Brown Butter Toffee Shortbread Squares with Caramel and Chocolate
(adapted from Joy of Baking)
For the Base:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (again, if you don't want them salty, you could omit - but don't omit if you're also using unsalted butter)
For the caramel layer:
1 package of craft caramels (340 gram bag), unwrapped
2 Tbsp. cream
For the chocolate layer:
6 ounces of good quality milk chocolate (or semi-sweet if you prefer, but I wouldn't recommend using chocolate chips - splurge on the good stuff here)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Continue to cook until it is golden brown in color. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and vanilla, mix well. Add flour and salt and mix until completely incorporated. Press the mixture into a foil-lined 9 inch square pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Let cool.

Put unwrapped caramels and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for about 2 to 3 minutes, checking often and stirring in between. Only cook until you are able to get a smooth consistency. Pour over cooled crust. 

Allow to harden in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Melt chocolate. Pour over caramel and chill until set. Cut into small squares.

Pretzel and Pecan Caramels

It amazes me that, despite the amount of baking I do, I still manage to screw up a lot of stuff in the kitchen. Under-baked cakes, over-cooked candies, you name it, I've done it. And chances are I've done it recently, but I'm too proud to share. I did think, initially, that these caramels fell into the screw-ups category and was hiding them in my fridge until I could re-make them and redeem myself. Then my sister and girlfriend, Kim, tried them and assured me that they were not screw ups, they were delicious. So I tried them and was very pleasantly shocked surprised. (They were also tasted by a number of other people and met with rave reviews.)

I saw this recipe in a Taste of Homes magazine and I just knew right then and there that I'd be making them at my earliest opportunity. These caramels are chewy and decadent - and the crunch of the broken pretzels and toasted pecans put them over the top. I thought about adding a bit of salt on top but talked myself out of it because the pretzels have enough salt on them to flavor them. You could, however, forego the pretzels and sprinkle the tops with a coarse salt and they would be divine. Also, as much as I love pecans, roasted almonds would make an excellent substitute if you were so inclined. I'll be doing that next time.

You will require a thermometer but I promise that this recipe is not as finicky as most caramel recipes are. It takes a little while to get the temperature up to the hard ball stage (245 degrees), but even so, I strongly recommend having your add-ins (in this case broken pretzels and toasted chopped pecans) ready before you start boiling the caramel. Perhaps that last comment was a 'no-brainer' for some of you but I sure could have used a reminder when I tried my second batch. Enough said.

This is the perfect recipe for Christmas time, but it's too good to file away until then. The recipe makes a whole lot of caramels, as you want to cut them small because they are so rich. I cut them into 1 inch squares. It's better to have people go back for seconds or thirds then to have them put down a half-eaten caramel because it's just too much. 

They make a great gift and they store well in the fridge. But, based on my experience with them, they probably don't have a chance. 

Pretzel & Pecan Caramels

(adapted from Taste of Home | 100 Best Recipes | 2011)

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1 lb chopped pecans (toasted)

2 cups of broken pretzel pieces

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil, generously spray with non-stick cooking spray (or use butter). In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugars, corn syrup, 1 cup of the cream and the butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil. Slowly stir in the remaining cream. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 245 degrees (firm ball stage).

Remove from heat; stir in pecans, pretzels and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Let stand until firm. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil, cut candy into 1 inch squares.

Caramel Filled Brownies

Yeah, sorry about these. As if any of us needed another vice. Especially in the brownie department. The thing is, I've been having a bit of a love affair with caramels lately. And I don't mean those lovely homemade Fleur de Sel ones that are elegant and perfect and all the rage. I love those too but they're just too much damn work. No. I'm talking about those Kraft caramels that we used to get for Halloween when we were kids. 

I loved them as a kid but then I forgot about them for the past 20 something years. Needless to say, we've become reacquainted. The "Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats" were a product of this aforementioned love affair. They're a sort of 'love child', if you will. And the Homemade Twix Bars. Those were super yummy too.

Now there's these. I saw them on Fake Ginger, intrigued I mosied on over to get the recipe from Powdered Plum. I made a number of changes to the original recipe and I've posted the recipe as I made it.

These brownies are killer. Dense, moist and extra chewy (because of the layer of caramel baked inside). What more can you ask for from a brownie? 

Caramel-Filled Brownies

(Adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

19 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with foil, leaving several inches hanging over the short ends of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray generously.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a large measuring cup at 50% power in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, then continue in 30 second intervals, stirring after each time until melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla mixing on medium speed with paddle attachment for 1 minute until thick and glossy. Stop the mixer, add the flour and salt, mix on lowest speed just until combined. 

Pour half the batter (about 2 1/2 cups) to the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. Let the brownies cool about 20 minutes.

The edges of my brownies rose quite a bit, making it slightly uneven:

I trimmed the higher edges off to level it, otherwise the caramel would pool in the centre and the edges would dry out or burn.

 

Melt the caramels and cream in a large measuring cup or a small glass bowl. (Start in 1 minute intervals, checking each minute and stirring. Once caramels start to melt, check after 30 second intervals, making sure not to overcook.) Pour hot caramel mixture over the brownies.

Spread the remaining brownie batter evenly over the caramel mixture

and spread gently, swirling the chocolate with the caramel. (But don't over mix or the caramel will become too incorporated with the brownie mix, and you won't have a thick caramel layer in the centre.)

Bake for additional 20 minutes. Cool the brownies completely in the pan, chill in fridge to speed up process if desired. Lift the brownies out of the pan by pulling out the foil. Cut into squares. (I found them easier to cut once chilled in the fridge.)

Brown Butter - Salted Caramel - Rice Krispie Treats

 

Recently I've been seeing a lot of pimped-up recipes for Rice Krispie Treats. Hmmm... I thought. It's about time somebody shook things up in the Rice Krispie Treats department. I mean they're good, but let's face it, they can definitely be improved upon. Brown Butter Rice Krispie Squares is definitely a step in the right direction. I even saw vanilla beans in place of extract in these treats. Sure, why not. Count me in. But still...

What if I browned the butter and then added caramel? I could throw in some good salt too - just a little bit - that might be fun!

These Rice Krispie Squares are amazing. I would even go so far as to say that I like them better than the ordinary run of the mill treats we grew up eating. They have more flavor, and they're not as sweet. They're still sweet, of course, but that hint of salt seems to tone it down a bit. The texture is slightly chewier than the original, they seem a bit more sturdy without being too hard. Next time you're looking for a crowd pleaser but want something a little more original - try these. They're like the Rice Krispie Square's sexier, more sophisticated cousin.

Recipe for Brown Butter - Salted Caramel - Rice Krispie Treats
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
5 ounces (approximately 3 cups or 1/2 bag) marshmallows 
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 340 gram bag of Kraft caramels, unwrapped
1 Tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. kosher salt


Unwrap all the caramels and put in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 Tbsp. of milk.

 

Microwave the caramels and milk for 1 minute on full power. Stir. Cook for 30 second intervals stirring in between each, until the caramels are melted and smooth. Do no over-cook or they will make the squares hard.

Meanwhile, place your butter in a large pot and melt over medium heat, allowing it to cook until it reaches a medium brown color. (I didn't go as dark as I could have - because I didn't want the butter to overcook after I added the marshmallows and caramel.)  

Pull the butter off the heat, add the marshmallows. 

Stir quickly until most of the marshmallows have melted, then add your warm caramel sauce. Stir vigorously. If it appears as though the mixture isn't completely melting, put back on the heat for a couple of seconds, stirring constantly. Add salt.

 Once smooth, add rice krispies and mix until evenly coated. 

 Press into a greased 9 inch square pan and allow to cool. Cut and serve.