Snackfully yours: Salted honey & spice crackers

The honey obsession continues.

No matter how tried-and-true and perfect a recipe in front of me is, I find that I can almost never make myself stick to the script.  I used to be a stickler when it came to following a recipe, scared that any deviation would result in a flawed product.  Eventually I got comfortable enough with the most common cast of characters (ingredients) that I knew when it was safe to make adjustments here and there.  Now I’m always changing something; adding a new ingredient or trying a new substitution, and often making multiple changes.  In the end it becomes almost impossible to distinguish which modifications worked and which didn’t.  I think with this recipe I’ve struck a good balance, adopting one recipe’s method to new ingredients.  See for yourself.

Honey spice crackers
Method adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted it from multiple sources.

Saltine crackers to fill a 11 x 17 baking sheet in a single layer (I used close to 1.5 sleeves of the original salted variety)
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces

1/2 tsp apple pie spice or cinnamon
1 cup honey
Several dashes salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup slices or slivered almonds

Small handful chia seeds or seeds of choice
Extra sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with crackers, breaking into smaller pieces to fill any gaps

In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and stir in honey and cinnamon/spices.  Cook over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it boils, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it over the crackers.  Pour carefully, covering as many of the crackers as possible, as it is difficult to spread once poured, and will start to set in a few minutes (I poured a bit too much over the middle and had to lift some of the crackers and spoon the excess to have enough to cover the outer crackers).

Sprinkle the slivered almonds and seeds over the coated crackers, pressing gently if loose.

Bake the honey-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. Reduce the heat if you see this happening.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with addition sea salt if desired.  Let cool.

Break the crackers apart and store in an airtight container.

Seasonal experiments: Cranberry caramels

Delightful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I recently bought myself a candy thermometer and have been pinning a bunch of ideas for caramels and other candies.  The apple cider caramels from Smitten Kitchen have been getting a lot of attention and look amazing, however the urge to make something came over suddenly the other day and I couldn’t find raw unpasteurized cider in my neighborhood.  Plus, I knew if I made them they would be perfect as-is and thus not really require a separate Hungry Bear blog post.  What I did have on hand were some frozen cranberries, which I decided was worth a try in adapting to the SK recipe.  Overall I think they were hugely successful.  The texture came out perfect, and the color is pleasantly surprising (kind of a mauve) for a caramel.  They also taste great, though less cranberry-y than I would have expected given how tart the syrup is.  If I make these again I might use less sugar to compensate for the sugar in the syrup.  The final product is rich, but subtle, and I think a great alternative to regular caramel or toffee, perfect for this time of year.  Enjoy! (Recipe to follow after the pics)

Strained syrup.

All the components, getting friendly.

Heating up to boil.

C’mon firm ball stage.

Can you say “yum”?

Looking suspiciously like raw meat here, but much better!

Half dozen yummy treats for a friend.

Give them to your friends in little handmade paper boxes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cranberry-infused caramels:

*Adapted from Smitten Kitchen apple cider caramels.

-One batch of cranberry syrup, via Smitten Kitchen. *Optional: add 1 tsp of vanilla while simmering for a subtle added flavor.
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or apple pie spice, alternatively)
1 teaspoons flaky sea salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
Vegetable oil for knife and parchment

First whip up a batch of the cranberry syrup.  I followed the SK recipe (plus 1 tsp vanilla), strained it through a small metal strainer, and was left with just shy of a half cup of syrup (if you get more than half cup I would discard the extra or even cook it down a little further). *Bonus: the cranberry bits you strain out make about 1/3 cup of yummy cranberry relish that would be great to save and use on pancakes, in oatmeal, with turkey, etc.

Before starting the caramel, prep the ingredients and assembly.  Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment, and brush with oil.  *Warning: do NOT use aluminum foil, as I did, or you will spend an hour picking out the bits that stick to the finished product (even if you butter/oil it). Set it aside. Stir the cinnamon and flaky salt together in a small dish.

Get your butter, sugars, and cream ready.  Now you can pour the cranberry syrup back into the pot you used to make it (just make sure there are no chunks left), and heat it on low for a few minutes to warm it up again.  Stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream.  Heat on medium- high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 250 degrees.  *This should only take 5-10 minutes, but I strongly advise you don’t guesstimate if you are lacking a thermometer.  It’s worth the $10 to have one around.  If you do go ahead without a thermometer, you can test it by dropping a spoonful into cold water.  If it is firm, but malleable, it’s ready.  But be warned, the process goes fast, and if you leave your mixture boiling while testing, it may get to hot and become hard when it cools.

At 250 degrees, immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon- salt mixture, and stir to combine. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm.  This takes a few hours, or you can speed things up in the refrigerator (if left too long it will be hard, but softens up again in room temperature). Once cool, lift the caramel by the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Use an oiled knife, re-oiling as needed, to cut the caramel into a size/shape of your choice (I used a pizza cutter to finish up). Wrap each one in waxed paper or plastic wrap, twisting the sides to close.

Gift idea: I used some decorative paper to make little folded boxes to put these candies in as stocking stuffers/party handouts.  I used this video tutorial , adjusting size to a 25x25cm paper, for a 5x5x5 cm box.  Also, in the last steps, instead of closing both ends, I closed the bottom side, and pinched the top together, punched a hole, and tied a bow.  The fit about half dozen candies in each.  So cute!