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[ToTheSummit]

I mentioned in another thread about making caramels every year at the holidays.  My friends have taken to calling them "Karlmels" since my name is Karl.  Robin showed an interest in my recipe, and I'm always happy to share.  So here is my recipe for my 'Christmas Karlmels'.  If anyone has any other holiday recipes they would like to share then jump on in.

"Karlmels"
1 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
2 1/4 cups dark brown sugar (packed)
2 cups half & half
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart saucepan melt the butter.  Stir in the corn syrup and the brown sugar until mixed.  Add the half & half and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously.  Lower the heat to keep at a medium boil and insert a candy thermometer.  Continue boiling, stirring ocassionally, until temperature reaches 248F.  Remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla.

For plain Kalrmels they are ready to pour at this point (for Karlmels other than plain see 'other varieties' section below).  I use 9"X13" disposable tinfoil pans that are shallow (1 inch deep) and I have them lightly greased with butter.  Simply pour the Karlmels into this pan and let cool.  I always give them overnight before trying to cut and wrap them to be sure they have sufficently cooled to room temperature.

To cut and wrap dump the slab of Karlmel onto a cutting board and cut it into 10 pieces on the short side by 12 on the long side.  Using a tape measure to help get the pieces cut fairly uniform can be helpful.  This gives you 120 pieces that are approximately each 1 inch square.  Foil candy wrappers of 5"X5" work well to wrap these.  I buy them at a local candy supply store, but they can be found online.  They are commonly sold in packs of 125 so this works out well where one batch of wrappers will do one batch of Karlmels.

Other Varieties:
Karlmels with nuts:  When Karlmels are ready, but before pouring into the pan, stir in about one cup of chopped nuts.  I have used pecans and almonds but always go back to walnuts.  They seem to be a favorite.  I tried crushing and chopping my own walnuts but I find that it is just easiest to buy pre-chopped nuts. It costs a little more but simplifies things.  Also it eliminates the surplus of fine "nut dust" from chopping or crushing manually (this "nut dust" as I call it can screw with the final consistency of the Karlmels).  Once the nuts are stirred in just pour, cut and wrap as normal.

Chocolate Karlmels:  This has been a trial and error process.  First I tries just sprinkling chocolate chips onto a pan of hot Karlmels.  For the most part they popped out as I cut and wrapped them.  Then I tried spreading the chocolate chips on the bottom of the pan and pouring the hot Karlmel over them.  This didn't fair much better.  Then I tried spreading melted chocolate over the pan of hot Karlmels.  This chocolate also tended to crack and fall off.  Next I thought I could try to quickly stir in chocolate candies before pouring.  I used mini-M&Ms for this thinking the candy shell would allow me to stir them in quickly, but they still melted and disintegrated as I stirred them in with less than stellar results.  In the end the only way I found to effectively use chocolate was a bit tricky, but it works well.  Pour some of the Karlmel into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom.  Then spread the mini-M&Ms across the Karlmel and pour the rest of the Karlmel over the candies to encase them in the middle.  It can be a bit tricky because you have to work fast and having two people can be helpful.

Peppermint Karlmels:  I use the same process here as I do with the M&Ms.  Pour a small layer of Karlmel into the pan and then spread a nice layer of peppermint chips over the pan before pouring in the rest of the Karlmel to encase the peppermint chips in the middle.  If you just try to stir them into the hot Karlmel you have the same result as you do with chocolate and they will start to melt quickly before you can finish stirring them in.

Sea-salt Karlmels: Pour the Karlmels into the pan.  Give them a few seconds to level out, then while they are still hot use a sea-salt grinder to grind the salt over the top.  I like to use a coarse grind, and the amount of salt you like is a matter of taste.  I have found that people tend to like even more salt than I expect, however I have gone overboard at times with the salt.  Its a trial and error process to get them the way you like.

Coffee Karlmels:  When Karlmels are ready, but before pouring into the pan, stir in about one heaping tablespoon of fresh ground coffee.  I use a medium to dark coffee with a bold flavor and grind it fresh for best taste.  I grind it about the same consistency that I use in my automatic drip coffee machine.

Bacon Karlmels: Fry up a package of bacon (12-16 oz package).  I find that bacon that is not too thick works best for bacon bits.  Fry it crispy enough that you can crumble it into bacon bits.  This can be tricky to get it crispy enough without burning.  I suppose you could buy pre-made bacon bits, but I prefer making my own.  Stir these bacon bits into the Karlmel before pouring into the pan.

[hummingbirdstones]

Thank you so much, Karl!  I love, love, love caramels and am going to try making my own since I am experimenting with new recipes this Christmas.  I will try your traditional recipe, and if I don't mess it up, I'll make another batch because I want to try these cookies.  Just found the recipe the other day and I HAVE to try them!   

http://inspiredbycharm.com/2014/09/salted-caramel-coconut-thumbprints-ibcfallcookieweek.html

Merry Christmas!

[Enchantra]

Thank you for posting this.  I have saved the recipe to my Evernote account.  I need to alter it to remove the corn syrup (I'm allergic to corn), but it's doable!

[GoodEarth]

My mom made Hobo Bread during the holidays every year. She told me that the recipe had been our family since the depression, and it's really fun to give as a gift.

You need 3 medium coffee cans, and I've found that some brands of espresso grind are just fine. You could also use large tomato cans, but I like the taller coffee cans. For reference, they measure about 3" across and 6-7" high.

You need:
About 1lb of Raisins
4tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 cup Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup of chopped walnuts

To start, mix the Baking soda with the raisins, and add 3 cups of boiling water. You may need to adjust the water, but make sure it covers the raisins and leave extra to be absorbed.

Let raisins rest, covered overnight.

Grease and flour coffee cans and heat oven to 350
Mix salt, flour and sugar in large bowl. Add raisins and water. Add cranberries and walnuts and stir till combined.

Put approx 2 cups of mix into each can, and bake for 55-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack, and shake cans till bread pops out.

Perfect breakfast served toasted and spread with creme cheese.

For years now, I've kept my family recipes secret, following in the foot steps of my mother and grandmother. This holiday season, I realized that with both of them passed away, and me not reproducing, unless I share, they will die with me! So, from now on, I'm broadcasting my family secrets far and wide, hoping that they join a new family and create new traditions. Please enjoy, and I'll post pics in a couple of days when I make my batch.

Joshua!

[hummingbirdstones]

Sounds like a great recipe, Joshua!  Thank you for sharing your family secret recipe.  I might not get to try it for Christmas, but I am going to try it at some point this winter.   

[Enchantra]

Thanks Joshua!  I've got a few of those recipes hanging around myself.  I'm going to need to start sharing.