Week 3: Caramel Chocolate, take 1

My friend Nancy gave me a bottle of caramel syrup, made for flavoring coffee and desserts, to use in my caramel chocolate experiment. As I planned how to adapt the recipe I realized that it probably wouldn't work well for the fudge, but I wanted to try it anyway. It is a syrup, so it is thin, and not as strongly flavored as an extract. I modified the recipe by leaving out the corn syrup, measuring generously on the cocoa, and cutting back on the milk and sugar. I figured I needed to adjust for both the extra liquid and the extra sweetness. I really had no idea how it would turn out though.

When I poured it (onto the marble slab seen in the photo) I was a little worried that it was going to run all over the table. It was a close call. My husband put a couple plastic lids under the slab where it was starting to run over the sides. It's a little on the soft side, but it has hardened enough to pick up a piece and I'm hoping that it will set up some more overnight.

Flavor-wise, it's okay. I mean it's good, but you can't really taste the caramel. It's just a hint of a flavor, if you think about it really hard while savoring it. My husband and older daughter said they could taste it, but my younger daughter said all she tasted was chocolate. I also sprinkled sea salt over a third of it. I wish I had done more - I really like the addition of the sea salt, and I think it actually helps bring out the caramel flavor a little more.

The texture is perfect - I think it's the smoothest batch I've ever made. I wish I knew why (and how to replicate it). I need to do some more reading on fudge-making.

Next time that I try caramel I will either use melted caramel candies and swirl them through as I pour the fudge, or caramel ice cream topping. I think that these might get the flavor combination I was looking for.