Caramel for Cookies
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Holiday Cookies 2001, Special Issue 2001
- Yield Makes 3 3/4 cups
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Ingredients
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
- Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt, and 1/3 cup water in a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan, with sides at least 3 inches high. Place over high heat. Let cook, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt and turn golden, 2 to 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until all sugar is melted, deep golden, and a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees.(hard-crack stage). While stirring, carefully pour cream slowly down the side of the pan (stand back slightly from the stove, as the cream may cause the caramel to sputter). When cream is incorporated, remove from heat; transfer to a heat-proof bowl. Use immediately.
As an aside, these aren't the traditional Congo Bars (which are a version of a Blondie bar) but rather use graham crackers for the base. To make them really extraordinary, try making your own graham crackers to use in this recipe. It really makes all the difference.
Although I haven't made these, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. It would seem that if the caramel recipe is saying to cook it to hard-crack stage and then the popcorn square recipe instructs to bake for 20 minutes that it would be hard as a rock. Perhaps someone from MSL needs to give some advice on this.
Please help! I've tried this recipe unsuccessfully 5 times for the "golden popcorn squares" - it comes out hard as a rock