Name: Chocolate Caramels
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon butter, softened; 1 cup sugar; 3/4 cup light corn syrup; 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped; 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

Chocolate Caramels

It's Chocolate Week! Today through the 28th some foodie friends and I will be celebrating all things chocolate. First up, I made fellow Taste of Home Community Cook Susan G's Chocolate Caramels. Candy making can seem intimidating, but the two most important things are a good thermometer and a block of uninterrupted time.

Though I love my instant read thermometer for this I went old school. Having it clipped to the side of the pot makes it easier to stir and to watch for it to hit those important temps of 234º and 245º. That being said, I had some distractions on my first batch and went over the final temperature by several degrees and ended up with delicious hard candy instead.

The second batch turned out perfectly. I poured some into heart shaped silicone molds and the rest into lined/greased mini loaf pans. The heart shaped ones I let set and then coated them in melted semi sweet chocolate. Those were my favorite!

Thanks so much to Christie from A KitchenHoor's Adventures for hosting #ChocolateWeek and to all the other bloggers for sharing their amazing recipes. Be sure to go and check out what they've made using the links down below!

Chocolate Caramels

Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal

Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

Instructions

Line a 9x5-in. loaf pan with foil and grease the foil with butter; set aside.
In a large heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup and chocolate to a boil over medium heat; stir until smooth.
Add 1/2 cup cream; cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage).
Add another 1/2 cup cream; return mixture to 234° (soft-ball stage).
Add the remaining cream; cook to 245° (firm-ball stage).
Immediately pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan) or molds (see note)
Let stand until firm, about 5 hours or overnight.
Using foil, lift candy out of pan.
Discard foil; cut candy into 1-in. squares using a buttered knife.
Coat with chocolate, if desired (see note)
Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends, or set into mini muffin cups and place on your serving plate or into gift boxes.

Notes:

If using molds, place them onto a baking sheet or dish with a rim. Transfer caramel into a glass 4 cup measuring cup and carefully pour into the molds. Let set. Remove caramels by pushing them out gently from the back side.

**If desired, melt 1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate morsels with 1 teaspoon shortening (I do it in the microwave in 30 second intervals, then stir). Set a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place a caramel on a fork then spoon the chocolate over it until it's coated. Let the excess drip off. Carefully slide the caramel off the fork onto the sheet. Let set completely before wrapping or boxing. I pop mine in the fridge to speed it along.

Source: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-caramels/