Potato Chip Salted Champagne Caramels.

Many exclamation points were harmed in the making of this post.

Champagne caramels! Caramels made with champagne!

These are essentially salted caramels, just salted with… crushed potato chips. !!!!!!

I mean.

I’m declaring these the best snack you can make for a Sunday viewing of the Golden Globes. It happens to be my favorite awards show of the season being the premium cable TV junkie that I am and I love a good fashion gossip session. (sesh? ew.)

AND I am absolutely loving this snack/dessert idea for the Globes because here’s the thing: we are only one week past the holiday season and I do not need nor do I want a cheesecake, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream or anything that I can eat more than one bite of easily. You know? I’ve had ENOUGH. Enough I said.

While the caramels are certainly rich (oh hi butter, sugar, cream), they are perfectly portioned for a sweet little bite. A decadent teeny taste. Plus, champagne.

So I was PETRIFIED of making caramels. I’ve wanted to make them for years, but really ever since I met Peabody in the fall of 2014 and she gave me a batch of apple cider caramels. I still dream about them. They were out of this world.

Being that I 1. don’t enjoy following instructions of any kind and 2. find it difficult to boil sugar for any length of time with a little snuggle nugget at my feet, I figured it would be impossible for me to make these.

However!

You guys.

They are easy. Pretty darn easy. Yes, you need a candy thermometer but last year at some point I picked one up at my grocery store in a huff, so they aren’t that difficult to find. Also, amazon prime, hello lover.

The only thing is that you have to keep your eyes on the caramel and only on the caramel. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. Do not watch Fuller House trailers. Do not dip a spoonful of chocolate chips into the peanut butter jar. Do not make a cheese quesadilla. Do not watch youtube beauty videos. Do not search an instagram hashtag.

Just watch the caramel.

Use your favorite champagne!

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Whatever you like to drink. Or whatever you have leftover from the holidays. (Wait, what’s that?)

And then, pop back in Sunday morning because I have an easy savory snack for your night of sitting on the couch!

Potato Chip Salted Champagne Caramels

Yield: 40 40 (2-inch) caramels

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5 from 11 votes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup of your favorite champagne
• 1 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup kettle cooked potato chips, crushed into crumbs
• metallic sprinkles
• parchment paper for wrapping

Instructions 

• Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper and spray it lightly with nonstick spray.
• Place the butter and cream in a saucepan and heat until the butter melts and the mixture is warm. Remove it from the heat.
• In a large saucepan, stir together the champagne, sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until it’s combined – the mixture will be thick. Fit the pot with a candy thermometer. Do not stir – bring the mixture to a boil and let it cook until it reaches a golden and caramely color – about 275-300 degrees F. You can let it go as high as 320 degrees F, but no higher. Turn off the heat under the sugar and very slowly pour in the cream and butter mixture while whisking. The mixture will bubble up and triple in size. Return it to the heat, and heat until it’s about 240-250 degrees F. Turn the heat off. Gently stir in the vanilla extract.
• Pour the caramel into the lined baking dish and tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any bubbles. Let it sit overnight (or even just 4 to 6 hours) – I loosely covered mine with a piece of foil. While the caramel sets, cut some parchment paper into squares – the amount you need will depend on the size and shape of your caramels.
• When ready to cut, lift the caramel square out by the parchment paper on the sides. You can cover it with sprinkles and chip crumbs first, but I like to cut mine and then cover. Make them whatever size or shape you want! I like the longer caramels – so I sliced long pieces from the 8×8 square and then cut each piece into fours. You can very lightly spray your knife with nonstick spray since these caramels are chewy. Sprinkle with metallic sprinkles and potato chips, gently pressing to adhere if needed. Wrap each caramel in a piece of parchment paper and twist the ends. Serve with champagne!

Notes

[caramel recipe from the kitchn]

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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