Cashew Caramel Sundaes Recipes

GRANDMA'S CANADIAN CASHEW CARAMELS

Steps:

• Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray. Arrange chopped cashews in the bottom of dish.
• Combine brown sugar, golden syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir once the sugar syrup begins to boil. Heat to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.
• Pour caramel over top of cashews. Stir well. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to spread the mixture evenly in the dish; allow to cool for 1 hour. Cut cooled caramel into squares or roll into balls as desired.

SALTED CARAMEL SUNDAE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the peanuts on a sheet pan and roast for 7 minutes, until they become fragrant. Pour into a medium bowl, add the popcorn, and set aside. Line the sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium (10-inch) saute pan and mix with a fork until all the sugar is moistened. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves--from this point on, don't stir the caramel, swirl the pan! (Don't worry if the mixture looks as though it's crystallizing.)
• Continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes a clear golden brown, swirling the pan constantly at the end. (Be careful, the caramel is very hot!) Off the heat, quickly add the corn syrup and vanilla (it will bubble up!) and swirl the pan to combine. Working quickly (the caramel will continue to cook in the pan), add the popcorn and nut mixture plus the kosher salt and toss with two large spoons until the popcorn and nuts are completely coated.
• Pour the mixture plus any extra caramel in the pan onto the prepared sheet pan and spread the mixture out in one layer, pulling it apart with two forks. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and set aside to cool. When it's completely cooled, carefully break into large clusters with your hands.
• To serve, pour puddles of Chocolate Sauce into shallow bowls. For each serving, place 3 small scoops of gelato on the chocolate sauce, sprinkle with some of the caramelized popcorn, and add a dollop of the Sweetened Whipped Cream in the middle. Serve immediately.
• Place the chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and coffee in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Be sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Serve warm.
• Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on high speed until the cream forms soft peaks.

CARAMEL CASHEW CUPCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
• For the caramel sauce: In a small, heavy saucepan, mix together the brown sugar, cream, vanilla and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and browns. Set aside to cool. Reserve 1/4 cup for the cake batter and 1/2 cup for the frosting; set aside the rest for drizzling on top of the cupcakes.
• For the cake batter: On an ungreased baking sheet, roast the cashews for 5 minutes; cool and chop into pieces. Reserve 1/4 cup for the batter and set aside the rest for garnishing the cupcakes.
• Sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, oil, orange zest, vanilla extract, eggs and the reserved 1/4 cup caramel sauce and 1/4 cup chopped cashews. Mix until smooth and completely combined.
• Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and bake until golden brown and risen, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
• For the caramel frosting: In a medium mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup at a time and mix until completely smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and reserved 1/2 cup caramel sauce and mix until combined.
• To assemble: Frost each cupcake with some of the caramel frosting. Drizzle the remaining caramel over the top of each cupcake and sprinkle with the remaining chopped cashews. Sprinkle with orange zest to taste. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

CARAMEL PECAN SUNDAES

Steps:

• For the caramel, mix 1/3 cup water and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook, without stirring, over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and boil uncovered until the sugar turns a warm chestnut brown (about 350 degrees F on a candy thermometer), 5 to 7 minutes, gently swirling the pan to stir the mixture. Be careful; the mixture is extremely hot! Watch the mixture constantly at the end, as it will go from caramel to burnt very quickly. Turn off the heat. Stand back to avoid splattering and slowly add the cream and vanilla. The cream will bubble violently and the caramel will solidify; don't worry. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.
• To assemble the sundaes, place 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and 1 scoop of butter pecan ice cream in each dish and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve extra sauce on the side.

MEXICAN CARAMEL SUNDAES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, warm caramel sauce over low heat and season with cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet and brush liberally with melted butter. Sprinkle each tortilla with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and bake until crispy and sugar has melted on the tortillas, 5 minutes. Remove tortillas from oven, let cool to harden and break into large, uneven pieces. Arrange the pieces of 1 tortilla in a sundae dish or on a dessert plate. Top with 2 large scoops ice cream. Drizzle the warm caramel sauce over each sundae using a spatula or wooden spoon. Top each sundae with whipped cream swirls and Spanish peanuts.

CARAMEL CASHEW CLUSTERS

Steps:

• Line baking sheets with waxed paper and grease paper with butter; set aside., In a microwave, melt 1 pound of candy coating; stir until smooth. Drop by scant tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans. Let stand until partially set, about 3 minutes. Top each with six or seven cashews. Let stand until completely set., In a small heavy saucepan, combine caramels and cream. Cook and stir over low heat until melted; stir until smooth. Spoon over cashews. Reheat caramel over low heat if it thickens. Melt remaining candy coating; spoon over caramel. Let stand until set.