New-York-Daily-News-ooh-look: Chewy Salted Caramels

Amongst the many desserts at Almost Bourdain's Girly Lunch was my contribution of Chewy Salted Caramels. They came about because I found a sugar thermometer that I had bought years ago to make something that never got made. I think it was actually salted caramels, but I didn't get around to it, and the thermometer sat in a drawer, wrapped in tissue paper and with its price tag still on. A sad, lonely, forgotten cooking accessory...

Chewy Salted Caramels
Makes about 24

Ingredients
250g white (caster) sugar
250ml (1 cup) double cream - this is cream with at least 45% whole fat
60g liquid glucose
30g butter
3 tsp sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling

Method
1. Place sugar, cream, glucose, butter and salt in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until the mixture reaches 118 deg C on a thermometer. It should take 7-8 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and pour into lightly greased mini muffin moulds or foil moulds. Do not use paper moulds because the caramels will stick to them.
4. Stand until set. Remove from mini muffin moulds, if using, and store in a single layer on baking paper in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Recipe adapted from gourmettraveller.com.au

Anyway, this was my first ever attempt at making caramel sweets, and this is my story...

Ingredients, including the luscious double cream, which you could eat straight out of the container, if you are so inclined. Not saying I did, not saying I didn't...

Boiling the caramel - don't do what I did and use a saucepan that is too small. It was a very stressful, precarious situation as I watched the mixture boil higher and higher. It didn't overflow, thank goodness, but it was a close call. It also took longer than 7-8 minutes to reach 118 deg C because I had to reduce the heat to stop it overflowing...