Chewy Coconut Caramels

Caramel. Is. Awesome. I love caramel so much. (If you haven't noticed by now, I am obsessed with dessert.) I like to make a batch of this to have on hand in case I want to use it to make another dessert. Or just eat a bunch when no one is looking...

There are a few really important things to remember when making caramel.

1. Stirring is BAD.

2. Burning is BAD. 

3. Caramel is totally worth it!!

Caramel is really not difficult to make-- it just takes patience. Good luck! 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/4 cups coconut cream (I used trader joe's extra thick and rich coconut cream)
• 8 tablespoons earth balance vegan buttery stick
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Line an 8x8 with parchment paper. I would recommend lightly buttering the paper so the caramel is easier to remove. Set aside.  
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter into the coconut cream. Stir the whole time this is cooking (it shouldn't take long, I promise!) Once the butter is fully melted, turn the heat off. 
3. Mix in the sea salt. (Let this mixture cool to room temperature while you're preparing the sugar mixture. Having the coconut milk mixture at room temperature will help it splatter less when you add it to the hot sugar.)
4. In a large saucepan (I use a 6 quart pot because hot sugar makes me nervous) blend the water, corn syrup, and sugar. The mixture will resemble wet sand when fully mixed.
5. Take a paper towel, or clean cloth, and wipe down the sides of the pot so no sugar is above the top of the mixture. Insert a candy thermometer. I use a digital thermometer and set the alert temperature to 320 before inserting. 
6. Place pot on stove and turn the heat on medium.
7. If you're anything like me... the next few minutes are going to be painfully nerve wracking... but even so... DO NOT STIR. No matter how badly you want to-- no convincing yourself that one stir, swirl, or wiggle won't hurt. It will. Leave it be until the temperature reaches 320 degrees.
8. Once it reaches 320 degrees, remove from heat. (If heated past 320, it is likely that the sugar mixture will burn.)
9. Carefully whisk in the coconut milk mixture. Stop stirring as soon as the milk mixture is fully incorporated.
10. Put pot back on medium heat.
11. Heat the mixture until it reaches 250 degrees. (Once again-- NO STIRRING. I know... it's painful!)
12. Remove pot from heat, and quickly whisk in the vanilla. (you can omit the vanilla if you'd like)
13. Immediately pour into pre-lined baking pan. 
14. You can sprinkle extra sea salt on top if you like your caramel extra salty.
15. Let cool for a minimum of 3 hours UNCOVERED. (if you cover it, it'll most likely crystallize because you're locking the moisture in. Trust me, I learned the hard way... more times than I would like to admit.)
16. Once it is cooled, cut it into pieces of your desired size.
17. Store in refrigerator. (put parchment paper between the layers so it doesn't stick!)

Enjoy!!