Help! caramel-making question

Hi all!
I am a frequent lurker, posted a few times on the original FLDG board. (btw, I like the current IOTM, but don't measure much when making chicken thighs with peach-pecan-cognac sauce.)

I'm a pretty decent cook, but don't do candies much. The other night I had one of those cooking nights.....

I decided to try a gourmet caramel/chocolate/pecan pretzel recipe from the local paper, complete with homemade carmel as the first layer on the pretzels. Simple recipe :
2 C whipping cream
1/4 C butter
1 C brown sugar (I used light brown)
1/2 t vanilla
bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. stir in vanilla after removing from heat. Cool 15-20 minutes before dipping, then rolling in chopped, toasted pecans.

The sauce was way too thin at 15-17 minutes, even after I let it cool. Tasted great, but not going to ever be gooey enough to stick and solidify.
Tried reheating, at which point, (after repeated testing in ice water) it started to work, but wasn't sticking well to pretzels -- kinda' clumped on rather than dipping smoothly. THEN it began SEPARATING into grainy carmel/toffee mixture and clarified butter. My "phone-a friend" suggested beating it while heating a little more. (after she says, "I've never seen that, what the blazes did you do ?) All this did was turn it dark brown. The final result after cooling overnight on foil was decent-tasting hard toffee, surrounded by toffee-flavored ghee.

What happened? could it have been the weather -- front moving in, but not yet raining ? I'd like to get some ideas, before covering the kitchen in carmel and melted chocolate again.

My guess is that the butter and cream killed the caramel, Terri. I melt the sugar (usually with a little water) to make the caramel to about what I want it to be, then add other stuff.

Bittman recently printed a primer on making caramel; he was making peanut brittle:

To do this you will need to caramelize sugar, so here is a quick primer.

Over heat and with a little time, sugar melts and completely transforms, becoming less sweet. When it recools it can be sticky, as in soft caramels, or hard. Brittle, in fact.

What scares many beginning cooks -- and even some experienced ones -- is that sometimes caramelized sugar burns or becomes irreparably lumpy. A couple of tips can help you avoid these pitfalls. (And since sugar is so cheap, if it fails, you can try again; you're only investing a few minutes.)

Start with a heavy pan; you want evenly distributed heat. If you have never made caramel before, add a little water to the sugar, about a tablespoon per cup.

This slows the cooking process, which is a good thing. Once the sugar starts melting the action can be quick; slowing it allows you to stir out lumps before they are too big or too numerous.

Veterans -- and the brave -- will do without the water and without the stirring and just shake the pan occasionally to move the melted sugar off the bottom. Stirring dry sugar almost guarantees lumps and a load of caramel forming on the spoon, where it does you no good.

No matter which technique you use, when the mixture is uniformly bubbly and golden, it's done. It won't burn immediately thereafter, especially if you lower the heat. At that point, dump in the peanuts or other nuts. I like a bit of salt, also, but that's optional.

My guess, anyway. [Love caramel, especially the soft version, and make it often. Too often, Janet says. ]

Regards, Bob

Bob, it's a good description of caramelizing sugar, but it's different from making caramels or toffee, which both have butter...caramel candies have butter AND cream...

Terri, I think you need to pay more attention to the temperature, as opposed to the time you boil/simmer the sugar, butter, cream...I ran a quick search on chewy caramels and saw 240 and 243 (precision matters in these cases)...but those recipes also use Karo syrup and some used sweetened condensed milk...

I make a Delia Smith caramel sauce that is just sugar, butter and creme, but it remains saucy...She has nothing for candy , but Joy of Cooking goes to 244...and uses corn syrup, too...

Wish I could find you one without corn syrup...

But whatever you do: you need a thermometer if you're making candy!

B

Thanks to both of you ! Things got crazy over the holidays, culminating in my dog getting attacked by a doggie playmate.

As for the caramel -- the humidity seemed to be the big culprit. It also looks like brown sugar can lead to "unpredictable results", so better to carmelize white sugar.

The candy thermometer suggestion was perfect.... I have one, just forgot to pull it out in all of the excitement.

Ironically, the toffee-like stuff that was the first result disappeared off of the plate when placed out with other nibblies. (they either liked it or they'll eat anything..... <grin>)

Thanks again,

Terri