Every year, I like to give friends homemade treats. I gather recipes from various sources throughout the year (okay, mostly from the ‘edible Christmas presents’ blog posts that pop up at the end of the year) and experiment with them. I have the staples, the tried and true recipes that make an appearance every year, but I also like to try new things. This is what I tried this year.
 

I decided on this recipe due to the current caramel and salt trend sweeping the nation. The combination isn’t new but it seems to have really taken hold here in Oz this year.
 
recipe from The Australian Women’s Weekly Christmas Collection

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups caster (superfine) sugar
1 1/2 cups thickened (heavy) cream
1/4 cup glucose syrup
1 1/2 cups unsalted cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt

Line a baking pan with baking paper. I used a square tray about 20cm x 20cm. Also, neat trick with baking paper I learned from Jamie Oliver is to cut off the required amount, scrunch into a ball and then dunk in some water. This will make the paper extremely pliable and able to fit any shape. Nifty, hey?

Stir sugar, cream and glucose in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and keep boiling uncovered until the mixture reaches 120C (248F). If you don’t have a candy thermometer, there are nifty ways to tell if the mixture is ready. I have a candy thermometer but I have no idea where it is so used the old fashioned method. It worked out a treat – you can totally see when the mixture is ready, btw.

Add nuts and half the salt but don’t stir (um, whoops. Totally stirred. Oh well, the world doesn’t end if you stir, so don’t fret, peeps.) Pour caramel into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining salt. Allow to cool.

Use a warm knife to cut caramel into pieces.

You can store the caramels between layers of baking paper in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to a week.