CARAMEL BARS

CARAMEL BARS

From Buzzy Evans
2017

64 wrapped caramels (Kraft)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbl. Milk
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Melt caramels in milk, set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, soda, salt and butter together.
Press half of mixture into 15x10x1 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes.
Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts evenly over baked crust.
Drizzle with caramel mixture
Top with remaining crust mixture.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Makes 5 dozen

Butterscotch Sauce for Ice Cream Sundaes

Do not freeze.  Keeps about 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

1 lb dark brown sugar
1 c sugar
1 c half and half
1 stick butter
2 tsp vanilla
Combine all ingredients in top of double boiler.  Cook slowly, until thick.

Tops about 12 sundaes.

Caramel-Pecan Rolls

This is from Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Minneapolis
Mitch Omer had a cooking class that Andie and I went to long ago.

1 3/4 c. whole milk
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. butter
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 large egg
2 tsp. kosher salt
4-5 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbl. cinnamon
4 c. Caramel Sauce (see attached recipe)
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
3 c. pecan pieces (see attached recipe)

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare caramel sauce and pecan pieces according to recipes.

Heat milk, honey and butter in a saucepan until lukewarm, no more than 110 degrees.  Remove from heat and sprinkle yeast over mixture.  After yeast blooms, about 5 minutes, pour mixture into the

bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle.

Add egg, salt, and 2 c. flour,  Beat on medium speed for 5-7 minutes.  Add remaining flour as needed until dough begins to pull away from side of bowl.  It will still be a little sticky.
On floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic.  Cut dough in half.  Roll each portion into a ball, cover with kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, about 35 minutes.  Then punch down, and let rise for 11 more minutes.

Mix sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Roll each portion into a large rectangle, 1/2 inch thick.  Using half the melted butter, brush top of each portion and sprinkle sugar mixture evenly.  Roll into logs lengthwise, like a jelly roll.   From logs, cut individual cinnamon rolls, 1 3/4 inch thick.

Pour half of caramel sauce into 2x10x14 pan.  Arrange rolls in pan, cover with a kitchen towel and
allow to double in size.

Remove towel and place the pan on a rack in the middle of the oven.  Bake 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter.  Invert onto a wire rack, separate the rolls and let cool.



To serve, ladle 1/4 c. of the remaining sauce over each roll, and sprinkle with pecan pieces.

CARAMEL SAUCE

1 c. butter
1/2 c. light corn syrup
3 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

OR

3 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 c. heavy cream

Place ingredients from either list in a saucepan and slowly heat to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until thick, about 9 minutes.

Makes 4 cups.


PECAN PIECES
4 Tbl. (1/2 stick) butter
3 C. pecan pieces 
2 tsp. kosher salt
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  When butter starts to bubble, add pecan pieces and salt, stirring well to coat.  Cook and stir until pecans are browned, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain on a double thickness of paper towels.  Makes 3 cups.  

Sticky Caramel Pecan Buns

From Andie Evans
Makes 12 rolls

DOUGH
1 tsp. dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water (90-100 degrees)
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 large eggs
5 c. AP flour
1-3/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces and softened

CARAMEL-PECAN SAUCE
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. light corn syrup

2 c. pecan halves, toasted

FILLING

8 oz. unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. chopped pecans

Prepare Dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the yeast and the warm water. Stir in the sugar and let stand for 10 minutes.

Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and on medium-low speed, blend in the eggs.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Add to the egg mixture and blend until the flour almost incorporated.

Remove the paddle attachment and fit the mixer with a dough hook. With the mixer running medium-low speed, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. When all the butter has been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and kneed the dough for 5 minutes.

Place the dough in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled. This will take about 2 hours. (You can also allow the dough to rise in the refrigerated overnight.)

Prepare Caramel-Pecan Sauce: Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat. When the sugar has completely dissolved increase the heat to high and cook until the caramel is golden amber in color.

Remove the caramel from heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up so use caution.

Whisk in the corn syrup, then the pecans. Pour sauce into prepared pan. Set aside.

Prepare Filling: Place the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until creamy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Assemble Rolls: On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough into an 18 x 11 inch rectangle.

Spread the cinnamon butter evenly over the rolled dough and sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the butter.

Starting with the long end of the dough, roll up the dough into a log and pinch the ends to seal.

Lightly score the log into 12 sections to ensure the rolls with be of even size, then cut the dough log into 12 even pieces.

Place the rolls, cut side up, in the caramel sauce-lined pan and cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for several hours until doubled. At this point, the rolls can rise in the refrigerator overnight.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for about 35 minutes or until they are golden. Immediately invert the rolls onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Do not allow them to cool in the pan. Allow to cool slightly before serving as the caramel will be very hot.

No-Fail Caramels

From Diane Evans

2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. margarine
1 c. milk
1 c. half and half
4 tsp. vanilla

Boil sugars, corn syrup, margarine, and milks on medium high heat until it reaches 242 degrees. Remove and add vanilla. Pour into a well-buttered 9 by 13 pan. Cut and wrap in wax paper.

Creamy Caramel Flan

From Andie Evans
Makes 8 to 10 servings

A caramel flan is a custard baked over caramelized sugar. When the cooked and cooled flan is inverted onto a platter, the delicious caramel sauce runs over the flan. This dessert needs to be prepared the day before serving.

3/4 c. sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan over medium-low, heat sugar until melted, about 10 minutes. Do not stir. When sugar is melted, reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until syrup is golden, about 5 minutes. Quickly pour into an ungreased 2-qt. round baking or souffle dish, tilting to coat the bottom; let stand for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and vanilla; mix well. Pour over caramelized sugar. Place the dish in a larger baking pan. Pour boiling water into larger pan to a depth of 1 in. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until center is just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove dish from larger pan to a wire rack; cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight. To unmold, run a knife around edge and invert onto a large rimmed serving platter. Cut into wedges or spoon onto dessert plates; spoon sauce over each serving.

Salted Nut Rolls

From Shirley Evans

2 Tbsp. butter
5 oz. marshmallows
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts
7 oz. caramels
1 Tbsp. water

Melt 1 tablespoon butter; add marshmallows, stirring until melted. Beat in enough powdered sugar to make mixture workable to knead; knead until smooth. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup peanuts. Knead, using remaining sugar, until smooth. Shape into a 12-inch roll.

On a piece of plastic wrap place remaining nuts in a 12x4 inch rectangle. Melt caramels with 1 tablespoon butter and water. Pour over peanuts, spreading with knife dipped in hot water. When cool, place marshmallow roll in center. Using the plastic wrap, lift caramel around marshmallow center and seal edges. Press peanuts carefully into caramel. Refrigerate and slice when ready to serve.