Caramel Syrup For Gingerbread House Recipes

CARAMEL GINGERBREAD GLUE

Steps:

• Put the sugar and water in a large, low-sided frying pan over a medium-high heat. Without stirring, bring to 160°C on a sugar thermometer. If you don't have one, the syrup is ready when the sugar has dissolved and it turns a light golden colour.
• Swirl the syrup gently in the pan to even out the colour. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for a few moments to thicken slightly to the consistency of honey.
• If the syrup begins to harden in the pan, put it back over a gentle heat until it has returned to the required consistency.

GINGERBREAD CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment. (Related: Kitchen Tip: Lining Pans with Parchment)
• Bring cream and butter to a simmer in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
• Pre-measure the spices and salt out into a small bowl. Pre-measure the vanilla into another small bowl. You will need to access these ingredients very quickly at the end of the recipe.
• Combine the sugar, molasses, and water in a 4 to 5-quart heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
• Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until all of the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is a deep amber color.
• Turn heat to low. Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up).
• Return heat to medium to medium-high and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel temperature registers no higher than 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and immediately whisk in the vanilla, salt and spices. Pour into baking pan.
• Once the mixture has cooled slightly but is still tacky to the touch, sprinkle the tops very lightly with additional sea salt, if desired.
• Then, allow the caramels to completely cool before cutting.
• Remove caramels from pan and cut into 1 inch pieces.

GINGERBREAD FOR A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Make the gingerbread dough: Sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla and beat on medium until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sifted flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined into a smooth dough, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until just firm, about 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, make templates for a gingerbread house. Gather several sheets of stiff paper; a manila folder works well. For the wall panels, cut a rectangle that measures 4 by 7 inches. For the front and back panels of a house with a peaked roof, cut a template that is 6 inches wide at the base, 4 inches to the roofline and 4 1/2 inches slanted to a peak. The template for the roof panels should measure 4 1/2 by 8 inches.
• Roll and cut the gingerbread: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough and cut into 3 equal pieces (a pizza wheel is handy for this). Working with one piece of dough at a time and keeping the other pieces refrigerated, roll the dough into a rectangle 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using the templates, cut out the front and back of the house and remove the scraps around the cutouts. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, cutting out 2 roof pieces and 2 side pieces. (If the dough gets too soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes before proceeding.) Discard the dough scraps or reroll to make cookies. Chill the dough pieces on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.
• Bake the gingerbread: Bake the dough pieces until crisp almost all the way through (the very center will still be a little soft), 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the pans 10 minutes on a rack, then remove the house pieces to the rack to cool completely. Assemble and decorate the gingerbread panels as desired.

GINGERBREAD CARAMEL CRUNCH

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; set aside. Butter the sides of a small heavy saucepan; add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes., Remove from the heat; stir in baking soda (mixture will foam). Stir in vanilla. Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well., Transfer to 2 greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

GINGERBREAD CARAMELS

Steps:

• Lightly coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed bakingsheet with cooking spray. Line with parchmentpaper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on shortsides; spray paper.
• In a large pot over high heat, bring cream,corn syrup, sugar, butter, and molasses to a boil,stirring until sugar has dissolved. Continue tocook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently,until mixture reaches 248 degrees (firm-ball stage)on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla, salt, and spices. Immediately pour onto prepared sheet, without scraping pot. Let stand, uncovered, 24 hours at room temperature (do not move pan).
• Generously coat a large cutting board with cooking spray. Lifting it by the parchment overhang, invert caramel onto the cutting board; use a sharp knife to loosen parchment, and remove. Cut into 1-by-1 1/4-inch pieces. Wrap each in cellophane or waxed paper.

CARAMEL FOR A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Steps:

• Spread the sugar in a medium skillet. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Set the skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Once the sugar has melted, stop stirring and cook, swirling the contents occasionally, until the sugar syrup is a deep amber color, about 12 to 15 minutes.

CARAMEL GINGERBREAD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners., Whisk together first nine ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk, oil, molasses and extracts. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened., Fill prepared cups two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; cool completely., For frosting, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, extract and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Spread over cupcakes. Drizzle with caramel syrup before serving.

CARAMEL SYRUP

Steps:

• Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and comes to a boil. Continue cooking, brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush but without stirring, until mixture becomes golden amber in color.
• Immediately remove from heat and add 1 cup water. Return to heat and continue stirring until mixture becomes liquid. Transfer to a heatproof container and let cool completely before using.