Caramel Popcorn

FB Source: Julie Morgan

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 15 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 quarts popped corn

Directions:

1. In saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Stir well and bring to boiling over medium heat. 
2. Stir in condensed milk; simmer, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to soft ball stage (about 234 to 238 degrees). 
3. Take off the heat and stir in vanilla. 
4. Pour over popped corn and stir to coat. 
5. You can then form it into balls or just leave it. I pour mine out onto sheet pans.

This is a gooey caramel popcorn, not a crunchy one. I have never done one that you put in the oven. And I never use a candy thermometer so it may turn out less gooey if it were the right temp. 

Pecan Pie Caramel Cheesecake

ORIGINAL Source: Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
Crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Filling:
3-8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:
1 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves
2 cups good quality caramel sauce (homemade would be best )

Directions:
Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for the crust until moist.
3. Press into a 10 inch spring form pan and set aside.

Filling:

1. In a stand mixer, whip cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. 
2. With mixer on low, stir in vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and stir again. 
3. Whip in flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Scrape sides and stir again if necessary. 
4. Pour filling into prepared crust and smooth the top. 
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cheesecake is set and hardly jiggles, if at all, when moved. Remove from oven and cool completely to room temperature.

Topping:

1. Arrange pecan halves over top entire cheesecake in concentric circles. 
2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
3. Once ready to serve, run a knife around edges of cheesecake and remove sides of spring form pan. 

To serve you can either drizzle 1 cup of caramel syrup over entire cheesecake and cut (with extra syrup to serve along with) or cut first and drizzle individual pieces.

Side note: I prefer to warm my caramel syrup to have a delicious contrast of hot and cold for this dessert.

Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

FB Source: Pampered Chef with Cathy Zastoupil

Original Source: Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup stick pretzels, broken into thirds
1/2 cup caramel bits
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer, cream butter with sugars. Add vanilla & egg. Incorporate & scrape bowl. 
2. Combine salt, baking soda, & flour. Gradually add to wet mixture. Mix until combined.
3. Fold in broken pretzels, caramel bits, & chocolate chips with a spatula. 
4. Spoon onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
5. Bake at 350*F for 11-12 minutes. 

*Makes around 2 dozen cookies.

Layered Pumpkin Cake with Caramel and Pecans

FB Source: Chef Ron Lock

Source: https://www.facebook.com/TheChefRonLock

Ingredients:
1 pkg (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided - 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped Pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in stand mixer, or, beat in a large bowl with a hand mixer. 
3. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.
4. Put the cake pans in the oven and bake for 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 10 min. Remove the cakes from the pans and transfer to wire racks to completely cool.
5. BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with hand mixer, or stand alone mixer, until creamy. Add in the sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in the whipped topping. 
6. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers, leaving top layer unfrosted. Do not frost the top layer!
7. Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate any leftovers.

(This cake is a total show stopper. The mixed flavors and textures pecans, caramel and cream cheese make this one of best pumpkin recipes of all time! Enjoy!)

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn

FB Source: Liz Bevan Horsley

Ingredients:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
9-10 marshmallows (jumbo, not mini)
12 c. popcorn

Directions:

1. Microwave brown sugar and butter for 2 minutes, add marshmallows & microwave until melted.
2. Pour over popcorn.
3. Mix well.

~ Gonna make this weekend & enjoy with a hot cup of cocoa MMMM! ~

Caramel Cheesecake Bites

Source: 

Terri L HadleyPampered Chef with Terri Hadley

Ingredients:
Crust:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup almond meal/flour
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp fine Sea Salt
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Cheesecake:

19 ounces cream cheese
3 eggs
1/4 cup 

granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Caramel:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Directions:

Cheesecake Bites:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Crush your slivered almonds. 
3. In a mixing bowl whisk together the almond flour, almonds, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Add the butter and combine with a spoon.
4. Line a muffin tin with liners. Push the almond mixture into the bottom of the liners. 
5. Bake for 10 minutes to set. 
6. Turn oven down to 300°.
7. In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, 
   eggs
   , 
   sugar and
   vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. 
8. Spoon mixture into the muffin tins with prepared almond crust.
9. Bake for 40 minutes. 

Caramel Sauce:

1. While cakes are cooking, start on the caramel. Combine granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently for 3 minutes. 
2. Stop stirring and continue cooking 10 minutes or until the color of light brown sugar. Remove from heat; carefully stir in butter and milk. Place pan over medium-high heat until caramelized sugar melts. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. 
3. Remove pan from heat; cool caramel to room temperature. Cover and chill 1 hour or until slightly thickened. 
4. Take cheesecakes out of the oven when they are done. Once cool, the middle will slightly fall and this is the perfect indent for the caramel.
5. Spoon about 1 tablespoon caramel over each cheesecake.

Caramel Crispix

Source: Alyssa Hernandez

Ingredients
2 small boxes of Crispix Cereal
2 cups of butter
2 cups of brown sugar
½ cup Light Karo syrup
½ tsp Vanilla
½ tsp Baking Soda

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil.
2. Add Karo syrup, vanilla and baking soda.
3. Put the cereal in a large bowl then pour mixture over the cereal.
4. Toss it well to coat.
5. Spread out onto a large cookie sheet lined with waxed paper to cool.

Stacie says: "I added those last two steps in the directions. I believe the coating would make everything stick together before it cooled."

Mini Caramel Apples

Mommies That Stay at Home

 Mini caramel apples
(So cute for the kids.)

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Sonja Poundstone

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 reg. bag of pretzels (you'll use about 3/4 of the bag)
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
Sea salt - ( I use our coarse sea salt with our grinder)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Line a large bar pan with parchment paper, cover with pretzels.
3. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. When it begins to bubble, add the brown sugar. Stirring occasionally let the butter/sugar mixture meld together and brown. This should take about 3 minutes. Do NOT let it boil, you will have sticky goo that is no good. When you have a nice, brown caramel pour it over the pretzels, slowly and evenly. You can then use a spatula to spread it out, you have to work quickly and gently. It hardens fast so even pouring is the best method.
4. Bake the sheet for 5 minutes.
5. Remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the whole bag of chocolate chips evenly over the mixture.
6. Place back in the oven for about 45 seconds. If you let it sit there too long the chocolate will burn.
7. Remove from the oven and use a silicone spatula to evenly spread the chocolate over the top.
8. Sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn

Magic of the Seasons

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light Karo syrup (corn syrup)
14 large marshmallows
1 package microwave popcorn

Directions:

1. Pop the bag of popcorn and strain any seeds (this is important because if there are seeds they will stick in the caramel which is not tasty)
2. Melt butter in pan
3. Add brown sugar and karo syrup to butter and melt (do not burn)
4. Add marshmallows and melt while stirring over medium heat
5. Pour caramel marshmallow mixture over popped popcorn and devour!

Enjoy!

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/caramel-marshmallow-popcorn-recipe/

Caramel Apples

Theother Carolyn Grady

Ingredients:

14 oz bag of individually wrapped caramels

1-2 Tbsp of milk or water

5-6 medium apples

Directions:

1. Unwrap the caramels and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1-2 Tbsp of water or milk and microwave for up to 3 minutes, or until completely melted, stirring after the first minute and then every 30 seconds after.
2. Hollow out your apples. You can balance the apple halves in a muffin pan. Fill will melted caramel.
3. Let the caramel harden and cut into slices!

Do u love caramel apples but hate trying to eat them? Try it this way! 

Stacie says: "I had to doctor the info on this one, because there weren't very clear instructions on how much of this or that. One person tried it with JUST the caramels melted, but they were too hard to chew after the caramel sauce had hardened back up in the apples. After looking for more info, I found that when people DIP the apples in caramel, the recipes call for just a little bit of liquid to be added TO the caramel squares."

Homemade Caramel

Friends On A Budget

Been doing this for years! My mother taught it to me! 
Unopened can of [sweetened] condensed milk [like Eagle Brand - do NOT use "evaporated milk" - you will not get the same result]
 + 8 hours on low (completely submerged in water) in the crock pot + cool down in the fridge = Caramel! This is the best caramel I've ever had, let alone made! It's so easy! Need to try this! 

Homemade Samoas Bars

FB Source: Jessica Hall Zielinski
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Baking Bites

Ingredients:

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

Directions:
Cookie Base:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. 
4. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. 
5. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. 
7. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:

1. Preheat oven to 300. 
2. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
4. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
5. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
6. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. 
7. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. 
8. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
9. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Snickers Cake

Linda Dougherty

SNICKERS CAKE

1 box devils food cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smucker's hot caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 snickers candy bars, chopped
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
caramel sauce
chocolate sauce

Bake cake in a 9x13-inch pan according to direction on the package.

While cake is baking, mix condensed milk and hot caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it's still hot, poke holes in it with a fork or straw. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely. Sprinkle chocolate chips over cake.

In a chilled bowl, whip together heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high speed of an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chopped snickers. Spread over cake. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over cake. Drizzle caramel and chocolate sauce on top. Chill.

Brownie Caramel Cheesecake

Babie Rose

Brownie Caramel Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 (9 ounce) package brownie mix
1 egg
1 tablespoon cold water
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate fudge topping

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
In a small bowl, mix together brownie mix, 1 egg and water. Spread into the greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
Melt the caramels with the evaporated milk over low heat in a heavy saucepan. Stir often, and heat until mixture has a smooth consistency. Reserve 1/3 cup of this caramel mixture, and pour the remainder over the warm, baked brownie crust.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour cream cheese mixture over caramel mixture.
Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes. Chill in pan. When cake is thoroughly chilled, loosen by running a knife around the edge, and then remove the rim of the pan. Heat reserved caramel mixture, and spoon over cheesecake. Drizzle with the chocolate topping