Maple Bacon Fat Caramels

• Gluten free

• Meat

  • 2 1/2 tbsp Bacon fat

• Condiments

  • 3 tbsp Maple syrup, pure

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 tsp Fleur de sel
  • 3/4 cups Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract, pure

• Dairy

  • 1 Butter
  • 3/4 cups Heavy whipping cream

• Liquids

  • 1 tbsp Water

Found on snixykitchen.com

Ingredients

• ¾ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use Rodelle organic vanilla extract)
• ¾ cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2½ tablespoons strained bacon fat, melted (Cooking 4 large thick-cut slices of bacon should give you the amount of bacon you need)
• ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel, plus more for sprinkling
• Butter, for the baking dish

Directions

• Read all the directions before getting started. Stuff happens so fast and you want to make sure youre prepared for whats coming next. The times in this recipe are estimates and will depend on the size of pot youre using, so use the temperatures as your guide. Also, make sure that you have an accurate candy thermometer - 5 degrees off will drastically change the texture of your caramels from soft and chewy to more like sugar daddies. Heres a handy article on how to calibrate your candy thermometer.
• Butter an 8x4-inch baking dish and line the bottom and edges with parchment paper, cutting slits in the corners so it will lay flat. Butter the parchment paper, as well. (I used a glass bread dish for one batch and another smaller baking dish for a second batch. If you only have an 8x8 pan, double the recipe.)
• In a small saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream and vanilla over medium heat, stirring, until it just begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to low to keep it warm while you prepare the rest, stirring occasionally.
• Gently mix the sugar, maple syrup, and water in a small sauce pan until the sugar is evenly distributed. Heat it over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves and it starts to boil, about 4 minutes. (I recommend between a 1.5-quart and 2.5-quart saucepan; any larger and youll have a hard time using the candy thermometer as it wont full submerge in the caramel).
• Stop stirring and clip a candy thermometer to the edge of the pot. Let the sugar boil without stirring at all, until it becomes amber colored and reaches approximately 285-290°F, about 3-5 minutes. While it boils, grab a clean wooden spoon or rinse and dry the one you were stirring with before.
• Add the bacon fat and kosher salt, and slowly stir in the warm whipping cream. Be careful, as it will react and sizzle quite a bit when you start adding the cream. The temperature will also drop when you add the cream.
• Keeping a close eye on the thermometer, continue stirring until the temperature is back up to 248°F. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot caramel into the prepared pan. DO NOT scrape the pot or youll end up with crispy bits in your caramels.
• Sprinkle the fleur de sel on top and set the pan on a wire rack to cool until fully set, at least 5 hours (Do not try to flash set them in the fridge or the texture will only hold up for a day or two).
• Use the parchment paper to pull the caramel sheet out of the pan and place it on a pastry board or cutting board. Peel the parchment paper down from the edges. With a large sharp knife, cut the caramels into bite-sized squares (I cut 13 rows of 4) and wrap them tightly in wax paper or parchment paper squares. The caramels will keep wrapped for up to one month.