Caramel Crunch Recipes

MY TRADEMARK, MOST REQUESTED, ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT CARAMEL MATZOH CRUNCH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment - on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.
• Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.
• In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan).
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.
• This makes a good gift.
• Variation:
• You can also use coarsely chopped white chocolate (or a combination of white and dark), and chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets). You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-alone buttercrunch.

CARAMEL CRUNCH

Steps:

• In a very large heat-proof bowl, combine the popcorn, cereal and almonds; set aside. In a large heavy-duty saucepan, melt butter; stir in corn syrup and brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. , Remove from the heat. Stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam up and get lighter in color.) Carefully pour over popcorn mixture; stir to coat evenly., Transfer to two 15x10x1-in. baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 250° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight containers.

CHOCOLATE CHEX® CARAMEL CRUNCH

Steps:

• Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
• In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.

CARAMEL CRUNCH

Steps:

• Make the caramel crunch: Line a rimmed baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water; mixture should look like wet sand. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until sugar is dark amber in color. Immediately pour caramel onto prepared baking sheet; let cool completely.
• Crack cooled caramel into large pieces and place in a resealable plastic bag. Crush into tiny pieces using a rolling pin; you should have a scant 1/2 cup of caramel crunch.