CARAMELS To make caramels in general boil clarified sugar until it is very brittle or to the point where it begins to gain more or less color and give off an acrid smell. But care must be taken not to burn the sugar or dark en it beyond a light-brovvn shade. Then pour the sirup on an oiled mar ble slab or tin, let cool until nearly hard, mark in small squares or cut out with u mold and lay away on waxed paper to harden.
If no suitable mold is at hand mark off the slab i inch deep or more with the back of a case knife and sprinkle slightly with powdered sugar to keep the marks open.
Chocolate Caramels.— Boil in a double boiler 1 cupful of grated chocolate, 1 cupful of brown sugar, 1 cupful of molasses, i cupful of sweet milk, until it hardens when dropped in cold water. Now stir in a piece of butter as large as an egg and 1 cupful of chopped nuts of any kind, or any desired mixture of nuts. Pour into a buttered tin pan and cut into squares or mold when nearly cold.
Or boil 1 pound of sugar to the hard* snap and stir in 4 ounces of grated chocolate dissolved in a table spoonful of hot water. Boil until the sirup caramels.
Or boil over a hot fire, stirring constantly, 4 ounces of grated choco late, li pounds of dark-brown sugar, 6 ourices of butter, and i teacupful of milk. Remove from the fire as soon as it becomes hard on being dropped in water, and if wanted hard, pour immediately into buttered dishes. Or stir for a few minutes to give a sugary consistency. Flavor after removal from the fire with lemon, orange, or vanilla either in the form of essences or grated lemon or orange peel.
Coffee Caramels.—Boll to the hard snap 1 pound of sugar, stir in black coffee made from 2 ounces of coffee with as little water as possible. Strain through cheese cloth. Con tinue to boil until the sirup cara mels.
Maple Caramels.—Boil together in a double boiler or buttered sauce pan cupful of boiling water, 3 cupfuli of pure maple sirup, 2 cup fuls of coffee sugar, 3 tablespoonfuls of glucose, until the sirup threads or hardens in cold water. Then stir in a cupful of pure cream, cupful of butter, and boil until it caramels. When it hardens on dropping in cold water pour out to cool.
Lemon Caramels. — Stir into the boiled sirup at the hard-snap stage the yellow rind of a lemon grated and mixed with a lump of sugar dissolved in lemon j uice and water. Stir well until the mixture hardens in water, then pour out to cool.
Strawberry Caramels.—Boil to the hard-snap stage 2 cupfuls of granu lated sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of glu cose, cupful of boiling water, stir ring constantly. Now stir in a cupful of cream and butter the size of an egg. Stir well until it hardens in wa ter, pour out to cool, and while hot sprinkle thickly with grated cocoa nut. When cold cut to any desired size. Use for this purpose preferably freshly grated cocoanut, but desiccated cocoanut may be used if necessary.