Chocolate Caramel Candy

The annual Christmas Goodie Exchange is next week!! This year there are 17 people attending. We are required to make half a dozen goodies per person and also bring along half a dozen for sampling! Every year I try to find something a bit different than the expected Shortbread or Sugar Cookie. Don't get me wrong - I love those - but if 17 people brought the same thing....

This year I had no inspiration. I looked at recipe after recipe, spent way too much money on Christmas magazines that promised over 200 of the best recipes. Still nothing. Finally I decided on these candies. Mainly because there is peanut butter in 3 of the 4 layers! How could that not be delicious??

Yes, this does look like a TON of ingredients. But I bought enough to triple the recipe - or rather make 3 separate batches.



The bottom and top layer are the same ingredients. Chocolate, butterscotch and peanut butter. The entire recipe is just melting and pouring ingredients. So very very yummy and relaxing to make!!!

The next layer is a nougat type layer with marshmallow cream, peanut butter, peanuts, sugar, evaporated milk etc. I made sure to have all ingredients pre-measured and ready to pour as soon as the cream had cooked long enough. I found this layer to cool the quickest so be sure to have everything handy!

Now for the caramel layer. Okay, a confession - I am not good at conversions. And especially not in the middle of a very busy grocery store with a very impatient sister wanting to be anywhere but there. So.... I ended up buying double the amount of caramels I needed. Four pounds rather than two. The tragic part, I made my husband help me unwrap them all before I noticed the error. Oh the hand cramps....

Here it is, the final product. Okay - so the truth. I didn't find it that amazing! The magazine said this recipe won 5 ribbons in a local Harvest Festival. Sadly, I found all you could taste was the butterscotch chips. I would have rather had a peanut butter chocolate experience than a caramel chocolate experience. I guess I should have paid more attention to the name of the recipe.

However, if I were to make again, I would probably eliminate the butterscotch chips all together and either substitute semi-sweet chocolate and or make the bottom semi-sweet chocolate and the top milk chocolate. It was a bit on the "too" sweet side!

Chocolate Caramel Candy

Bottom Layer:

2 tsp butter

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Filling:

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 evaporated milk

1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme

1/4 peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Caramel Layer:

14 oz (just under 1 lb) caramels

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Icing:

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Line a 13" x 9" pan with foil; butter the foil with 2 tsps butter and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set.

For filling, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and milk; bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set.

For caramel layer, in small saucepan, combine caramels and cream; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cutting. Remove from pan and cut into 1" squares. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: about 8 dozen.

CC.