Salted Pumpkin Caramels
Author: 
Serves: 64 1" caramels
 
Ingredients
  • /3 cup unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • ½ cups light corn syrup
  • ⅓ cup good maple syrup
  • ¼ cup of water
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut in chunks
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ¾ tsp fleur de sel (I finished mine with vanilla salt)
Instructions
  1. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a skillet until they start to pop.
  2. Line the bottom and the sides of an 8˝ square glass pan with parchment (you can use butter to stick the parchment to the sides of the pan if needed). Evenly spread out the toasted pumpkin seeds on the bottom of the pan, on top of the parchment.
  3. In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, pumpkin puree and spices. Get this mixture quite warm, but not boiling. Set aside.
  4. In a second heavy bottomed pan, with sides at least 4˝ high, combine the sugar, both syrups and water. Stir until the sugars are melted and let it boil until it reaches 244°F (the soft ball point on a candy thermometer). Then very carefully add the cream and pumpkin mixture, and slowly bring this mixture to 240°F as registered on a on a candy thermometer. This can take awhile – like 30 minutes or more – but don’t leave the kitchen. Watch it carefully and stir it more frequently once it hits 230°F to keep it from burning at the bottom of the pan.
  5. As soon as it reaches 240°F, pull it off the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Stir vigorously so that butter is fully incorporated.
  6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Cool 30 minutes and then sprinkle the salt over the top. Let the caramels fully set (at least 2 hours) before using a hot knife to cut them into 1˝ squares. Mine were still pretty sticky so I threw them in the fridge for a couple hours to really get them to set up. Serve in squares or wrap individually in waxed paper.
Recipe by Bistro OneSix at https://bistroonesix.com/confessions-of-a-caramel-pusher/