Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Caramel-Peanut Bites

I'm hungry for a Snickers, but still have a sick little man and some extremely icy roads. What's a girl to do? Make her own!

I saw an episode of Giada at Home on Food Network last fall that included a recipe for Smoked Almond Turtles that looked fabulous. And while that's still on my list of recipes to try, I decided to adapt the ingredients to make what I was craving. So I used Giada's caramel recipe, but changed, well, everything else. Including the size of the candies. I used mini muffin tins, because muffin-sized turtles sounded like a bit too much of a snack.

I'm speaking calorie-wise here. Appetite-wise, I could totally handle it.

Caramel-Peanut Bites
Makes 24

Cooking spray
1 c. halved or coarsely chopped peanuts
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips

1. Generously coat 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Sprinkle peanuts in each muffin cup.

2. In a saucepan, combine cream, butter, brown sugar, and water. Stir over medium heat until combined. Then attach a candy thermometer and let mixture boil, without stirring, until it reaches 240 degrees.

3. Let caramel cool for about 30 seconds, and then pour a few teaspoons over the peanuts in each muffin cup. (I had some caramel left over.) Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

4. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or in a saucepan over low heat. Spoon melted chocolate over the top of each candy.

5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

6. Use a small spatula or knife to remove the candies. Store in the refrigerator if you won't be eating them right away.

4 comments:

Katie @ Favorites and Things said...

Those look amazing! I'm going to have to try them, I wish I had one right now.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

wow... those look so amazing. would use cashews to make em special... Gonna do these soon

Carla and Michael said...

WOW! Michael would love those as he is a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup addict. I saw Giada's recipe too. Think I like your version better though. Thanks!
Carla

kanishk said...

back in teh Walter Payton sweetness days (your husband will know).


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