Description[]
Source: Holy Sweet! - Peabody Johnson
I had wondered for years what would happen if I melted ice cream and turned it into caramels - and one day I did it. It took a lot of tries. A lot. Caramels are already buttery, so making butter pecan caramels just made sense. The key is to make sure you get a premium ice cream - one where cream is listed as the first ingredient. With this recipe, I will just say: Be patient. This one is hard for people. Candy making takes time. I taught junior high school for years, so I have a lot of patience.
Ingredients[]
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) melted butter pecan ice cream
- 4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups (288 g) superfine sugar
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) Lyle's Golden Syrup (or light corn syrup)
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (36 g) chopped pecans
Directions[]
- Line an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20-cm) pan with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick baking spray.
- In a 2-cup (480-ml) glass measuring cup, add the cream, melted ice cream, butter, and salt.
- Microwave in 30-second pulses until everything is melted and steaming.
- Set aside.
- In a 2-quart (2-L) saucepan (seriously, don't use a smaller one - it boils up and it's not fun to clean up), add the sugar, Lyle's Golden Syrup and water.
- Turn the heat to high and cook without stirring until it reaches 290 to 295°F (143 to 146°C).
- Turn the heat off.
- Slowly pour in the cream mixture in a steady steam and whisk gently.
- Turn the heat back to high and cook without stirring until it reaches 250°F (120°C).
- Turn off the heat, add the vanilla and fold in the pecan pieces.
- Whisk gently to combine.
- Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan; do not scrape the bottom of the pot.
- Let the caramel sit at room temperature for a few hours, or overnight.
- Don't try to rush the process by putting it in the fridge or the caramel will crystalize and not have the desired texture.
- When it has firmed up, slice the caramel into the shapes you like and wrap each piece individually in wax paper.
Yield: Makes about 32