Caramel Coconut Cluster Bars Recipes

COCONUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Brush an 8-inch baking dish generously with coconut oil or coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of toasted coconut in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.
• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the coconut cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring frequently especially toward the end, until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees and caramel is a light golden brown and thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger and cardamom.
• Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Once the caramel stops bubbling and the surface forms a thin skin, about 3 minutes, sprinkle another 4 tablespoons toasted coconut across the surface. Allow to cool at room temperature and set completely, about 2 hours.
• Run a spatula around the sides of the baking dish, loosen and lift the caramel, and move onto a board or clean surface.
• Slice the caramel into 8 (1-inch-wide) strips, then across into 1/2-inch pieces, so you have about 72 caramels. Roll the sides of each piece in more toasted coconut. Wrap as individual sweets using 4- to 5-inch squares of parchment, wax paper, or cellophane, or use store-bought candy wrappers, twisting the ends to seal. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. Caramels will keep stored at room temp for up to 7 days or frozen after wrapping for up to 1 month.

CARAMEL COCONUT CLUSTER BARS

Steps:

• Toast the coconut: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the coconut in an even layer on the baking sheet and toast, tossing and turning every 4 minutes or so, until the coconut just starts to turn golden, about 12 minutes total. Remove the coconut from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Make the Cookie Base: Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to overhang on two sides. Lightly spray the parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and the flour mixture and beat just until combined.
• Turn the dough out into the prepared baking pan and, with lightly floured hands, press the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Prick the top of the dough with the tines of a fork and bake the crust for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until golden. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
• Make the Caramel Layer: In a medium saucepan, combine the corn syrup, both sugars, and 2 tablespoons of water and stir gently so you don't splash any of it up on the sides of the pan. Set the saucepan over low heat and continue to stir gently until the sugar dissolves. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, making sure the bulb of the thermometer is immersed in the syrup. Turn the heat up to medium-high and wait without stirring for the mixture to reach 240 to 245 degrees F, about 7 minutes. Keep a watchful eye on the temperature while you proceed with the next step-you do not want the mixture to exceed 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cream and sweetened condensed milk. Gently warm the mixture; do not let it boil.
• Once the sugar mixture turns amber, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter and the warm cream mixture until completely combined (be careful as it will bubble up when you add the cream mixture). Place the pan back over medium heat, stop stirring, and bring the mixture back to 245 to 250 degrees F.
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and fold in 2 cups of the toasted coconut.
• Pour the caramel directly onto the cookie base and, working quickly, spread it into an even layer with an offset spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of toasted coconut over the caramel. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a knife to loosen the chilled bars from the sides of the pan, then lift the bars out using the parchment paper overhang. Spray a sharp knife with nonstick cooking spray and cut the bars into twenty-four 3-by-1 1/2-inch rectangles and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
• Assemble the bars: Melt both chocolates together in the bowl of a double boiler over medium heat or in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl, cook the chocolate at 50% power (medium) for 15-seconds bursts, stirring between each blast, until melted).
• Dip half of each individual bar in the melted chocolate, scrape off the excess chocolate with an offset spatula, and place the bar back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining bars.
• Alternatively, dip the bottom of each bar in the remaining melted chocolate, scrape off the excess chocolate with an offset spatula. Return to the baking sheet to set. Once set, squeeze the chocolate into one corner of the zippered plastic bag and twist the other end of the bag a few times to form a makeshift pastry bag. Use a kitchen scissor to snip off the small corner of the bag where the chocolate has collected (you don't want too large a snip or the chocolate will ooze out).
• Working quickly, drizzle the chocolate in a zigzag pattern across all of the bars. Place the pan of bars back into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to let the chocolate set up. Serve immediately. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days. They taste really good directly from the refrigerator as well as at room temperature-entirely up to you.

NUT CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Prepare the caramel mou: Place the corn syrup, sugar and just enough water to melt the sugar into a saucepan and place on high heat. Cook until the sugar is very dark brown and begins to burn. You will see white smoke. Remove from the heat and add the 1-ounce of water. Allow this to cool slightly.
• Place the roasted nuts on a silpat baking mat lined baking sheet.
• Place the butter and cocoa butter in a large heat-proof mixing bowl.
• Prepare the caramel: Place the sugar, corn syrup, Caramel Mou, cream, vanilla bean, butter, salt, and lemon juice in a saucepan placed over high heat. Insert a candy thermometer and cook to 250 degrees F (121 degrees C). Remove from the heat and pour over the butter and cocoa butter. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon the caramel over the nuts to make the clusters.
• Place the bittersweet chocolate in a paper cornet or small piping bag and drizzle chocolate over the nut cluster. Serve.
• Jacques' tip: To make a more kid friendly recipe, use store bought caramel squares. Unwrap them and place them on top of the nuts. Put in a warm oven until the caramel melts.

COCONUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; grease foil with 1 tablespoon butter. Layer with 1 cup coconut and 3/4 cup almonds; set aside., In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, coconut milk, corn syrup, cubed butter and cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), about 40 minutes., Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook and stir until thermometer reads 244° (firm-ball stage), about 5 minutes longer., Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup coconut, vanilla, ginger, salt and remaining almonds. Immediately pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Let stand until firm, about 5 hours or overnight., Using foil, lift candy out of pan; remove foil. Using a buttered knife, cut caramel into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

COCONUT CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• Toast the coconut: Spread coconut in a 9x13" pan, bake in preheated 300 degree F oven 20-25 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring half way through baking time.
• Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg, until well blended.
• Mix in flour, salt, baking powder and 1 1/2 cups toasted coconut (reserving 1/2 cup for topping).
• Spread mixture in un-greased 9x13" pan, lining with parchment if you desire.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile melt 1/2 (1/2 cup) of the caramel in microwave.
• Drizzle melted caramel over baked crust and return to oven for 10-12 minutes or until medium brown and caramel is bubbly.
• Removed crust from oven, working quickly, use a heat proof plastic knife (plastic reduces the drag on sticky baked goods), or a bench knife, to loosen the edges of the crust from the pan; cut into 2 dozen bars, leaving them in the pan. (It is easier to cut these bars while still warm).
• Sprinkle bars with the chocolate chips.
• Allow chocolate chips to soften about 5 minutes, then spread chocolate evenly over bars.
• Set aside to cool completely.
• Loosen the bars from the edge of pan again, using a flexible spatula to lift the bars out of the pan.
• Set on a rack.
• Combine remaining caramel with 1 tablespoon milk or cream and heat until caramel is melted enough to pour.
• Stir to combine with milk or cream, drizzle over the bars.
• Garnish with reserved toasted coconut.