Here’s a new one. I’m pretty excited about these, particularly since I just recently ventured into the world of boiling sugar, and this is an accomplishment for me. I was always kind of scared to try to make any kind of candy, because I knew I would inevitably screw it up. It just seemed intimidating. Then, because of the world of Pinterest, I stumbled across “Apple Cider Caramels” this fall, and went out and got a candy thermometer, because I HAD to make them. Those turned out great and were a big hit at my Halloween party, so I got to thinking about what other flavors I could pair with caramel.
Eggnog goes with Christmas about as well as… any combination of two things that go together extremely well. I love it, and I always have to run and get some around mid-November when I can’t wait any longer before I start pulling out Christmas decorations and playing Christmas music (even though the radio hasn’t started playing it yet). But what, besides Christmas, goes particularly well with eggnog? RUM. …and nutmeg… of course.
I made a big ol’ batch of these and brought them to work, gave them to friends, and ate a bunch myself. They were well-received, to say the least. What better media to spread holiday cheer than eggnog caramels spiked with a little rum? 😉
- 2 C. eggnog, divided
- 1 stick of butter, cubed
- 2 C. white sugar
- 1/3 C. Karo light syrup (filled to the 1/2 C. mark with water)
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. rum extract
- 1/4 C. Captain Morgan’s spiced rum
AAAAAAND here’s how.
Stir together 1 C. eggnog, the nutmeg, cinnamon, rum and rum extract until well mixed. Set aside.- Line an 8×8 baking dish with greased parchment paper (cooking or baking spray works well)–make sure the edges are covered– and set aside.
- In a large pot, combine all other ingredients EXCEPT butter. Stir and dissolve the sugar.
- Continue to stir over medium heat until the temperature on the candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the pot from heat, and slowly whisk in the mixture you had set aside.
- Add the butter cubes and whisk in until all is combined.
- Return to heat and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 248 degrees on the candy thermometer.
- Immediately remove from heat and pour into the prepared baking dish. If any of the candy remnants cool slightly inside the pot, they will be a different consistency than the rest of the candy and should not be added to the candy in the baking dish (yes, learned from experience).
- Allow these to harden. You can put them in the refrigerator if desired, though this is not necessary. You can simply cover them and allow them to sit out overnight.
- Cutting time! If you refrigerated them, you’ll need to let them come down to room temperature, or they will be too hard to cut/ will shatter. Remove the caramels from the dish (the parchment liner should have made this pretty easy) and lay the parchment over a sturdy cutting board. With a long, sharp knife, cut them into whatever size pieces you want. I cut them into log shapes because that prevented me from having to wrap a million tiny pieces.
- Cut a bunch of pieces of parchment to wrap your caramels in. My batch yielded about 30 caramels the way I cut them. When you wrap them, roll the parchment around the caramel and firmly pinch each end, twisting it away from you. If you twist both ends in the same direction, you will be able to unwrap them by simply pulling each end.
Please enjoy these. And not just by yourself, because that would be bad for your health, no matter how happy you were from all that caramel enjoyment. Even more than all of that, Happy Holidays!
The Un-Snooty Foodie 