Hazelnut Caramels

Photo: flickr user Flirty Kitty

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter - (250ml)

1 1/4 cups packed golden brown sugar (310ml)

1 cup sugar - (250ml)

1 1/4 cups dark corn syrup - (310ml)

1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk - (375ml or a 14 oz can)

1 vanilla bean, split - lengthwise

1 cup coarsely chopped husked hazel nuts

Coloured cellophane for wrapping

Preparation

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with a piece of foil, folding it over the sides. Using your hands, butter the foiled pan thoroughly and set it aside.

Over a low heat, melt butter in a medium sized saucepan. . Combine brown and white sugars, dark corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Continue to cook until the sugars have dissolved. Stir continuously - being careful not to burn your sugar.

Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Extract the seeds and add them to the pot. Add the pod to the mix as well.

Attach a candy thermometer to your pot, to ensure the correct temperature of candy. Bring the mix to a boil and stir frequently. Cook for 8-10 minutes then remove your vanilla bean pod and discard. Continue to cook your candy mixture until thermometer reads 242 F - (120 C).

Start to move quickly here so that the candy does not cool too much before you have finished with it. Remove the candy from heat and stir in crushed hazelnuts. Pour candy into your buttered foiled pan. Do not scrape the sides of the saucepan.

Soak your pan while it is still hot to ease the cleaning process.

Once the candy has cooled for 1 hour, butter a heavy knife and score 8 lines lengthwise (1/4 inch) and 8 lines crosswise. Using the foil as an aid, pull the candy out of the pan. Using buttered knife now cut through the caramel.

Wrap caramels into the colored cellophane, like a store bought candy - only this is ten times better!