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Caramel Candies with Baileys?

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DeviousVixen
User offline. Last seen 11 weeks 4 days ago. Offline
Joined: 03/08/2009

Hey, made these last year for gifts at Christmas time. I am making them again, low cost gift and everyone loves them. Anyways, I wanted to add a twist to some of them. I was thinking Baileys, How would I go about adding that? How much?

Thanks a bunch everyone, I might just do half nut meg and vanilla and then half trial run of baileys. I was thinking add it with the cream.

sorry here is the recipe
GOLDEN VANILLA BEAN CARAMELS
- makes eighty-one 1-inch caramels -

Ingredients
1 cup golden syrup
2 cups sugar
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure ground vanilla beans, purchased or ground in a coffee or spice grinders,
or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment
A 9-inch square baking pan
Candy thermometer

Procedure

Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine
the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat,
stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around
the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in
water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before
using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy
thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered
(without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F. Meanwhile, combine the cream and ground
vanilla beans (not the extract) in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the
edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks.
Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn
the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir
until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f
for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, if using it. Pour the caramel into
the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment
paper. Peel off the liner. Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually
in wax paper or cellophane.

Variations

Fleur de Sel Caramels: Extra salt, in the form of fleur de sel or another coarse flaked salt,
brings out the flavor of the caramel and offers a little ying to the yang. Add an extra scant 1/4
teaspoon of coarse sea salt to the recipe. Or, to keep the salt crunchy, let the caramel cool and
firm. Then sprinkle with two pinches of flaky salt and press it in. Invert, remove the pan liner,
sprinkle with more salt. Then cut and wrap the caramels in wax paper or cellophane.

Nutmeg and Vanilla Bean Caramels: Add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the cream
before you heat it.
Caramel Sauce: Stop cooking any caramel recipe or variation when it reaches 225°F or, for a
sauce that thickens like hot fudge over ice cream, 228°F. Pour it into a sauceboat to serve or
into a heatproof jar for storage. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for ages and
reheated gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing before use. You can
stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce is too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can
always be thinned with a little water or cream. Or, if you like a sauce that thickens more over
ice cream, simmer it for a few minutes longer.

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inspectorbratty
inspectorbratty's picture
User offline. Last seen 1 year 48 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12/11/2009

Hi, I would try using a cup of the cream and a cup of the bailey's. I don't think it would negatively impact the texture at all at that ratio. If you think that might be too strong or too weak, you might want to get out a two-cup measuring cup and add a little cream and a little Bailey's until you get it where you want it.

I really don't think you can go wrong with however you do it because Bailey's is just milk and cream, booze and flavoring. Good luck and thanks for the recipe.

Cheesecake4Breakfast
Cheesecake4Breakfast's picture
User offline. Last seen 16 weeks 1 day ago. Offline
Joined: 01/10/2010

Lifehacker just had an article on how to make your own Bailey's (much to my girlfriend's delight!)

http://lifehacker.com/5437310/make-your-own-baileys-irish-cream

Personally, haven't tried it yet (not out of Bailey's...yet), but coming from Lifehacker, that's usually a done deal as far as being good.

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