Sweets or desserts are almost an inevitable part of any culture. Most meals end up on a sweet note or they even make for goof mini meal option. One such delight is caramel candy. Most of us have our childhood memory associated with this candy which was sweet, sticky and a real delight at the same time. And Chef Vikas Khanna recently took to Instagram to reminisce about his childhood years. “One of our favourite childhood memories for me & my sis @theradhikakhanna was eating Caramel Stick Jaws (Caramel Candy) from @oldelloras in Dehradun,” the chef shared. He took to Instagram to show how the signature candy can be easily made at home with few basics from the pantry ingredients.
But do you even know what is the history of caramel? It’s said that Arabs first discovered caramel around 1000 A.D which was crunchy in texture as it was created by crystallizing sugar in boiling water. They used to call it "kurat al milh" or "sweet ball of salt." These light brown sweets that is made with sugar, milk, corn syrup and fat, gets it brown colour by constantly heating and stirring milk and fat and sugary syrup till it gets a light brown color.
Today, the caramels see a much different textures. While the “Shorter” ones have a softer texture, the “Longer” ones see a much chewier texture. But interestingly Caramel candy' was majorly popularised when Milton S. Hershey’s successful candy business in 1886: Lancaster Caramel Company.
Here’s the recipe o Vikas Khanna's nostalgic caramel-
Ingredients
• 1 stick butter (preferably salted), if using unsalted, please add a pinch of salt
• 10 ounces condensed milk (a can is 14 ounces)
• ½ cup plain light corn syrup (preferably Karo, if using Karo with vanilla flavour, please do not add more vanilla to the recipe)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 Pyrex dish 9 x 13 inches evenly sprayed with cooking spray (preferably neutral oil)
Method:
• Heat the butter in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Once the butter is melted add condensed milk, corn syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla extract and cook, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove it from heat and pour the mixture onto the greased dish and evenly sprinkle the saffron threads.
• Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
• Loosen the edges with the paring knife. Transfer it to a cutting board. Cut into 1 X 1-inch pieces or the desired shape; wrap each piece in waxed paper.
