off to the races with bourbon salted caramel

29 Tuesday Apr 2014

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Talk about winning the trifecta!! Bourbon, sea salt and caramel! In preparation for the Kentucky Derby this weekend, we thought we would share this winning recipe…a true triple crown winner courtesy of shutterbean and Bon Appetit magazine.

We were perusing the magazine and came across these caramels and just knew we had to make them! Especially since one of our manly belles was having a birthday and he is quite partial to bourbon. A perfect addition to the birthday menu! shutterbean gave it rave reviews and some great tips. Of course, our favorite tip was the addition of extra bourbon.

We plan on making these again soon….sooner if we can…and since the Derby is all about bourbon…well with a little horse racing thrown in for good measure…let’s just say it’s an opportune time to have your way with bourbon in the kitchen.

We made this twice and the second time was better because we decided to add that extra touch of bourbon (you couldn’t taste it the first time…what a waste!!)

So off to the races:

Nonstick vegetable spray

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter ( we used salted and it was fine)
3 Tbsp. Bourbon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Flaky sea salt ( such as Maldon )

You will also need a candy thermometer

Lightly coat an 8×8 baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper,leaving a 2″ overhang on 2 sides. Spray parchment!!!

Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to boil in a medium saucepan over medium- high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook swirling pan occasionally ,until mixture turns a deep amber color, 8-10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and butter( mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Fit pan with thermometer and return to medium- low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thermometer registers 240 degrees . Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon and kosher salt. Pour into prepared pan..let cool. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Cut into 3/4 inch pieces.

Wrap individually in parchment pieces. We tried but ours didn’t last that long!!

Everybody will be betting on you!!

a&a

salted caramel blondies…ring. a-ling!

14 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

≈ 1 Comment

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blondies, caramel, caramel sauce, Desserts, fudge sauce, salty, sweet

Salted caramel…let us count the ways!! This has become one of our latest obsessions, and it could be a rather dangerous one! (We are going to be forced to log 20,000 steps a day on our Fitbits pretty soon…uh oh). We have pinned and tried various versions of this sinful combination of salty, sweet, gooey goodness; and you, our dear belles, will certainly be hearing more from us on this very important topic. But…this one recipe has been ringing our belles (and collecting oohs and ahhs from friends) lately. So, we feel almost obligated to get it out to all of our belles immediately. We can’t have you missing out on all the fun!!

Now, before we divulge the gooey details, we must give you two very important pointers.

1. The recipe, as presented in the link, is to be prepared in an 8″x8″ pan. Now, you know what that means? It is just not enough!! Our solution…go right ahead and double that recipe and pull out the 9″x13″…especially if you plan to share (which a good belle would always do). Add 5 minutes to your baking time and you are all set.
2. The recipe also calls for a perfectly delicious homemade salted caramel sauce as well as a perfectly delicious homemade fudge sauce. We adore these recipes and encourage you to try them…but save them for a time when they will be the star of the show. For this recipe, they are drizzled on prior to baking and we find that the store-bought versions work beautifully (and allow you to crank these babies out in record time…making everyone happy). Let Trader Joe’s help you out here with their Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce and their Fudge Sauce & Fondue. You’re welcome!

And, now, here it is…in all it’s salted caramel goodness!!
Simply heaven on earth:

salted caramel and hot fudge blondies