Honey Nut Caramels
- 2 tablespoons unflavored vegetable oil, such as safflower oil
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup toasted, roughly chopped cashews or other toasted nuts
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a 4 1/2 by 8-inch flan form in the center of the foil.
- With a paper towel, coat the foil and the inside of the flan form with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil.
- Set aside.
- In a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.
- Add the sugar, honey, and vanilla bean, stir to blend, and return the mixture to a boil.
- Wash down the sides of the pan two times with a pastry brush dipped in warm water to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, place a candy thermometer in the pan, and cook the mixture until it registers 253F on the thermometer (10 to 15 minutes), stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula.
- Remove the pan from the heat; remove the vanilla bean from the mixture with a fork, stir in the butter, then blend in the cashews.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared flan form.
- Let the caramel cool completely at room temperature (2 to 3 hours).
- With the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil, coat a cutting board and the blade of a large chefs knife.
- With the knife, loosen and remove the flan form; invert the caramel onto the cutting board, and peel the foil off the caramel.
- Cut the caramel into sixteen 1/2-inch-wide strips, then cut each strip into four pieces.
- In a tightly covered container, between sheets of waxed paper, or wrapped in waxed paper rectangles, the caramels will keep for 2 weeks at room temperature.
vegetable oil, heavy whipping cream, sugar, honey, vanilla bean, unsalted butter, cashews
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/honey-nut-caramels-393481 (may not work)