Caramel Goodness

Oh, caramel....let me count the ways I love you. You are great in brownies, candy bars, poured over apples, and of course, eaten straight-up from the bag. Especially when you are in a small bit that doesn't have to be unwrapped.


One night last week, when I should have been getting ready for bed, I grabbed a small handful of chocolate chips and caramels. In the pantry, I could see the box of peanut butter crackers and I had an honest-to-goodness Oprah moment.

So......I quickly melted some caramels, dipped the mini peanut butter crackers and let them firm up for a few minutes, then dipped in melted chocolate.

BLISS.

If I'm remembering my Halloween candy correctly, this kind of tastes like a "Take 5" bar. I'll have final confirmation by the 31st of this month and will get back to you.

One small note: Caramel melts better with a small amount of water, whereas small amounts of water are DEADLY to a bowl of melting chocolate. It will seize right up if it comes into contact with water. So, make sure your caramel is COMPLETELY set before dipping it into the chocolate. These were made hurriedly since it was more of an experiment than for anything specific. (Just another Wednesday night here!)

So, since I was feeling all caramel and chocolate confident, I decided to make a caramel chocolate-chip muffin this morning.....

I started with a basic muffin recipe (see below) and filled the muffin cups about 1/2 full. I sprinkled a few mini chips and 4 caramel bits per muffin. I then covered them with another tablespoon or so of the batter, then added a few more minis and 1 caramel bit, taking care to not let the caramel be too close to the edges since they will stick the liner or pan. I would have loved to have come up with some sort of creative glaze, but I ran out of time. I didn't try one yet, but the kids seem to like them.

Here is the muffin recipe I use:

1 1/2 cups flour (I use half whole-wheat, half white)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup oil (I use canola)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place oil in a measuring cup (I use a 2 cup measure for space), add egg and enough milk to fill the cup - this may be slightly over 1/3 cup milk. Pour into bowl w/ dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Add your fruit, choc, etc, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.
Tip: I always fill the muffin cups half-way before adding anything...especially if it's something like blueberries, which have a tendency to turn your batter purple even if you barely stir them. Also, I like having control over the amount per muffin (yes, I have some issues, but that is another blog post entirely.)
Enjoy and let me know if you have other creative muffin options!