First, please vote for my blog for The Kitchn’s The Homies Awards. I need to place in the top five to make it to the next round. This would really help my dreams come true and could change my blog and possibly my life. It would be a dream come true, but I need your help. Please, even if you don’t leave comments and just like to lurk, please take a moment to click the link, sign up for an account and click the +1 next to Pies and Plots. You should see the number of nominations go up. I cannot begin to tell you how much this would mean to me!
Second, don’t forget to enter to win the Hungarian shortbread from Frog Hollow Farm. I know you will love that little treat! Now onto your regularly scheduled blog post.
I’m not one to be all fanatical about spoilers. I realize in the strange world in which we live where most of us don’t watch shows when they actually air and yet feel the need to share all about them on social media, I need to be smart if I don’t want to know who won Top Chef or what happened on Grey’s Anatomy.
When I actually care about avoiding spoilers, I try to watch the show in a timely manner and avoid social media. I’ve also learned to enjoy shows even when I know what happens.
But the Olympics are killing me. I can’t get interested in watching twenty bobsled runs or ten ice skating short programs, which I swear are all the same, when I know what happens. So I’ve been spending my days avoiding spoliers like it’s my job. Coincidentally it pays about the same as blogging 😉
My local news is great. They announce when they are going to talk spoliers. They appear on the screen while they Olympic music plays. When the music’s over, so are the spoliers. Awesome.
However, my frenemies over at NBC have a bit of a different tactic, in that they talk spoliers all the time, without warning. The moment I turn on Today in the morning, they are talking about results. Ted Ligity this, Bode Miller that. I love NBC Nightly News and their Olympic stories, but I can’t watch them because I have to turn it on mute and look away before I know who fell while ice skating. Doesn’t NBC want me to enjoy their Olympic coverage?
Well, at least I definitely enjoyed Ina’s Salted Caramels. I have a thing for homemade caramels. I simplified the process here by removing the step of warming the cream and butter before adding to the cooked sugar and these are the best caramels I’ve ever made. They set perfectly, are super creamy, and have that rich, complex flavor we all want from caramels with that perfect crunch of sea salt. I say these are gold medalists, no spoiler alert necessary!
Ina’s Salted Caramels
- Yield: 64 caramels 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Maldon Sea Salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, leaving overhang for easy removal later.
- In a large saucepan, cook sugar, corn syrup, and water over medium-high heat. Without stirring, bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture is a deep amber color. If you need to swirl the pan, you may do so gently.
- Remove the pan from the heat once it is the proper color, and add the cream, butter, and vanilla. Place the pan back on the heat and stir until any clumps have dissolved. Stop stirring. Place a candy thermometer in the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour. Then cool completely in the refrigerator, about 2 additional hours. Cut into pieces and wrap with parchment or wax paper. Caramels may be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
So chewy and sweet 🙂 Such a great treat!
(I didn’t mean for that to rhyme, haha)
Today’s ice skating has already been spoiled for me! But it’s my own fault for being on Twitter. I just wish everything happened at 8:00 p.m. at night… But I guess the U.S. just isn’t the center of the world?! Who knew! 🙂
These caramels look AMAZING! And I’m so voting for you!!
No the US isn’t the center of everything, but sometimes it seems like it. A lot of the athletes from other countries train here, most speak English. But I get that the Russians don’t really want to go to the arena and watch ice skating at 1 in the morning 😉 Thank you so much for voting for me – that means the world to me!
Homemade caramels are the best aren’t they!? Unfortunately, I would probably end up eating all 64 of them in one sitting! Ha! 😉
Yeah, it’s kinda hard not to eat them all. Especially when I was cutting and wrapping them – it was like wrap two, eat one 😉
These look beautiful and delicious.. wish i could get corn syrup here
You could try Lyle’s Golden Syrup or even honey.
I’m the same way! I hate when I haven’t watched some show and then they talk about it on The Soup before I can watch. 🙂 Love these caramels – SO good!
Laura, I just had dinner and I am craving your salted caramels now! I wish I had one to chew on as I am watching the Olympics! 🙂
These are a great Olympics snack!
These caramels look amazing and soft and chewy!! I want!!
Never made caramel candies before, thanks for the recipe!!! I checked the recipe and it seems to be pretty much the same as when you make a caramel sauce but after adding your cream etc you cook it further.. am I right?
Basically. The proportions might be a little different, but what makes them solidify is cooking them to soft ball after the cream is added. These set up really well; some of the others I’ve made haven’t, but they still tasted good.
Yes I could eat these by the pound! Yummy!
I love salted caramel. These look and sound great! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Danielle, and thanks for visiting 🙂
Oh my, the caramels are just dripping with voluptuous flavor! A very appealing treat!
I actually got into the winter olympics.
The snowboarding and figure skating was quite good.
Totally agree. The snowboarding is addicting. It’s a bummer we won’t really watch these sports again for four years.
These caramels are definite winners!! I love how perfect and creamy and sweet n salty and just MMM! these look!
Thanks, Kayle, and thanks for sharing the post!
Doesn’t NBC realize that the more they spoil, the less people will have incentive to watch?! Sheesh.
Oooohhhh I want these caramels. Big time want.
That is what I’m saying. Brian Williams is all like this is what happened in ice staking, but watch it in prime time in an hour. Really???
You know caramels are Scott’s fav…. Olympics are great to watch….
i’ve had the same issue with NBC. Worst place to be watching the games. I have been skipping the evening news just to avoid spoilers lol!
Yeah, I’ve been trying to watch Nightly News and turn it off before the evening’s coverage is ruined.
These look soooo good, andif they are Ina’s, they have to be perfect. Good luck in the Homies race!
Thanks, Sue, and thanks for visiting!
Spoilers are a major pet peeve for me. Especially when you tell someone that you haven’t watched it yet and they just keep spilling the beans. ARGH!
On a happier note, these caramels look so smooth and rich- just the way they should be! So much better than store bought. <3
Salted caramels are great. We made a batch this weekend, and they went in a flash! Yours look wonderful — thanks.
I love caramel!! This looks fantastic, I have got to make some sometime!
I have been wanting to make these for forever! Yours came out so great!!