The easiest ever chocolate flavored caramel recipe

I was recently given some chocolate flavored Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk to test.  I make caramels a lot but have wanted to make chocolate flavored caramel.  Since the ingredients to my homemade caramels can be expensive, I didn't want to play around with the recipe and waste them, so I searched for a simple caramel recipe that did not use a lot of ingredients.  When I found one, I realized it would be the perfect recipe to try out the chocolate flavored Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk.  It was quick, easy, and only used a few ingredients.

I had to make a few changes to the original recipe and completely reworked their instructions to work with the chocolate, but boy, am I glad I tried this out.  This caramel is good, soft, versatile and chocolate flavored. 

As a side note, I used this caramel to swirl into a batch of blondies.  I'll post this recipe, too, but I have to say, ummm, ummm, good.

Five Ingredient Chocolate Caramel 

·       11 tbsp butter

·       ½ cup granulated sugar

·       3 tbsp light corn syrup

·       14 oz can chocolate flavored sweetened condensed milk

·       ½ tsp vanilla 

1.     In a medium sauce pan melt butter.  Stir in sugar until it is dissolved.  Stir in corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk. 

2.     Bring to a boil, then decrease to a simmer. Stir constantly.  You will notice that the bubbles become like volcanos as it thickens.  Using a thermometer cook until the caramel reaches 245° (at low altitude).  In Prescott, the temperature should reach 235°. 

3.     Pour caramel into an 8x8 pan that has been lined with parchment paper and then buttered.  (Can be glass or metal, but if you have a silicone pan, you can skip the parchment paper; just butter the pan directly.)  Allow the caramel to cool completely.   

4.     When cool, you can either cut in squares and wrap in waxed paper, or use in other recipes.

Eagle Brand chocolate flavored sweetened condensed milk is only available for the holidays so if you want to make this, run, do not walk, to your local grocery store to buy some.  While you're at it, I recommend you buy several cans since it will not be available after the holidays.  I have only seen this at Fry's and Walmart so check your local stores to see if you can find it.

Watch for my recipes using the caramel flavored sweetened condensed milk.  I'll be posting them soon.

Copycat samoa girl scout cookie recipe

We recently had a taste for some Girl Scout cookies but they are no longer available.  Rather than wait until it’s cookie time again, we decided to make our own.  We had a store-brand knock off cookie to taste and knew it would be easy to re-create.  We also ‘googled’ and found some recipes that looked like ‘sort of’ what we wanted to do.   

We used someone else’s shortbread recipe, but decided next time, we would use our own.  The recipe for shortbread cookies is one we have used for years and love.  If you want to make it really easy, use purchased shortbread cookies.  Just know that they may not have the hole in the middle. 

You can use caramel from the grocery store, purchase ‘fresh’ caramel from a candy store such as Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or make your own.  There is a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Arizona Mills (if you live in Mesa) or Outlets of Anthem (if you live in Prescott).  We always have homemade caramel in the freezer for dishes like this. 

 

Samoas Cookies copycat recipe

Makes about 4 dozen

Shortbread recipe

¼ cup	Confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup	Granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups	Unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks) refrigerated and cut into 8 to 10 pieces
2 ½ cups	All purpose flour
Dash	Kosher salt

 
Preheat oven to 325°

Place both sugars in food processor and process until very fine. 

Add butter, pulse until sugar disappears.  Add flour and salt, pulse until no dry particles remain.  (Mixture will be moist and crumbly.)   

Cookies w/hole in center

Make balls about 1 inch and place on a cookie sheets 2 inches apart.  Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass or a rolling pin.  Each cookie should be about 2” when flattened.  Using the back of a round wooden spoon, make a small circle in the middle of the cookie.  My circles were about ½ to ¾”.   Optionally you can try to roll out this dough…but it can be difficult to roll out nicely. 

Bake 20-25 minutes until pale golden.  Remove from cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. 

 

Topping recipe:

·       2 ½ cups          Shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

·       1 lb      Caramels (soft) (we used homemade but store bought will work, too)

·       Dash    Kosher salt

·       2-3 tbsp           Milk

·       ½ lb.    Dark or semisweet chocolate chips

·       1-2 tbsp           Shortening (such as Crisco)

·       4 dozen           Shortbread cookies

To toast the shredded coconut, put it in a large frying pan on medium to low heat.  Stir the coconut until it is toasted.  Do not look away or it goes from perfect to burned in seconds.  Remove from heat and place on a plate to cool.  See the video for easy instructions.   

Place your caramels, milk and salt in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute; stir well.  Put back in the microwave for another minute at a time.  When the caramel is smooth, it is ready.  Adjust the amount of milk you use so that the caramel is a spreading consistency.  Some caramels are more firm than others. 

Stir the toasted coconut into the caramel mixture. 

Gently spread the caramel/coconut mixture on top of your cookies.   

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave 15 seconds at a time, stirring well after each interval.  When the chips are almost melted, remove from the microwave and stir, using the residual heat to melt the remaining chips.  DO NOT OVERHEAT or you will ruin your chocolate. 

Bottom of cookie dipped in chocolate.
Top has caramel/coconut, then
 drizzled with chocolate

Now, be prepared to get messy.  Spread some of the chocolate on a plate.  Hold the cookie on the edges and dip the cookie into the chocolate to cover the entire bottom.  Place the chocolate cookie on either parchment paper or a Silpat.  Continue with the remaining chocolate.  (Do not discard the remaining chocolate as you will use it in a few minutes.)  If your kitchen is really hot, you may want to put the cookies in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

 

Use the remaining melted chocolate to drizzle over top of the cookies once they're all dipped. We used a fork to drizzle uneven strokes of chocolate on the top of the cookie.  Let the chocolate harden and enjoy. 

Store in an air tight container for up to a few days. 

 

We love these cookies and are sure they are going to show up on a goodie table soon.