# This changes EVERYTHING!



## Jericurl (May 18, 2016)

This changes everything

Do you guys understand the implications here?

Caramel cheesecake, caramel apple wine, caramel sugar in my coffee in the mornings.....
This is it people!
THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 

Ahem. I'll try this tonight and report back.


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## Julie (May 18, 2016)

I will be waiting for the report on this!!!!!


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## wineforfun (May 18, 2016)

You're killing me Jeri, ruining perfectly good coffee with sugary additions..........unless you are drinking Folgers, Starbucks, etc., then it may need it. 

Now for some sweeter wine additions, your caramel sugar has possibilities. 
Caramel sugar Christmas Dragon Blood?


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## wineforfun (May 18, 2016)

I've got some fresh apples sitting in my freezer that I may use some of this caramel sugar with, instead of white sugar.


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## Jericurl (May 18, 2016)

I have already started a list of all the things I'm going to be doing with it...including popping a couple of pounds into an airtight container and stuffing a split vanilla bean in it!

1. apple cyser mead thing with cinnamon

2. Lavender shortbread

3. Cheesecake

4. Angel food cake

5. Christmas Dragon's blood (oh yes...this is happening!)

6. cheesecake

7. Sugar for my morning coffee

8. Did I mention cheesecake?


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## Kraffty (May 18, 2016)

Be sure to let us know how large a batch you make, done on a sheet pan I'm guessing?
Mike


Ahem. I'll try this tonight and report back.[/QUOTE]


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## Jericurl (May 18, 2016)

> You're killing me Jeri, ruining perfectly good coffee with sugary additions..........unless you are drinking Folgers, Starbucks, etc., then it may need it.



Well, Manthing is a right heathen and doesn't like Cafe Du Monde coffee, or coffee with chicory, so I don't care what is made in the coffee pot anymore. As long as he brings it to me and soups it up with sugar and heavy cream. Or honey.


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## the_rayway (May 18, 2016)

I have no idea what's going on. Caramel is awesome. What's happening?


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## Mismost (May 18, 2016)

Ok that ain't caramel...but it does look nice. caramel can be made by throwing cans of Eagle brand canned milk in a Crockpot for 8-10 hours....thick sweet caramel you can eat outta the can with your finger....that's caramel! Awesome stuff and you can make as many cans as you can fit in the crockpot at one time.

Now your method...we have used that before and it does work. Try it with flour if you like Cajun cooking...brown your flour in the oven just like that sugar... to make your rouge's...lighter or darker depending on how you want to go. Gumbo gets easy and fast since your not stirring a rouge for two hours! And you get that dreaded flour taste.


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## Tnuscan (May 18, 2016)

the_rayway said:


> I have no idea what's going on. Caramel is awesome. What's happening?



I think @Jericurl just became my new Hero!!!


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## Tnuscan (May 18, 2016)

Mismost said:


> Ok that ain't caramel...but it does look nice. caramel can be made by throwing cans of Eagle brand canned milk in a Crockpot for 8-10 hours....thick sweet caramel you can eat outta the can with your finger....that's caramel! Awesome stuff and you can make as many cans as you can fit in the crockpot at one time.
> 
> Now your method...we have used that before and it does work. Try it with flour if you like Cajun cooking...brown your flour in the oven just like that sugar... to make your rouge's...lighter or darker depending on how you want to go. Gumbo gets easy and fast since your not stirring a rouge for two hours! And you get that dreaded flour taste.



No soup for you!!!


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## Jericurl (May 18, 2016)

the_rayway said:


> I have no idea what's going on. Caramel is awesome. What's happening?



Raelene, 

If you clink the link, it takes you to a site that describes spreading sugar out on a sheet and baking it in the oven for several hours.

It browns the sugar, turning it into caramel flavored sugar that can then be used in place of white sugar...in anything.

The article describes it much better than me.

Ok guys...

I went to the grocery store and bought a disposable aluminum tray.
5 lbs of sugar is spread out in it and currently baking in the oven at just below 300 degrees.


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## Jericurl (May 18, 2016)

Mismost said:


> Ok that ain't caramel...but it does look nice. caramel can be made by throwing cans of Eagle brand canned milk in a Crockpot for 8-10 hours....thick sweet caramel you can eat outta the can with your finger....that's caramel! Awesome stuff and you can make as many cans as you can fit in the crockpot at one time.
> 
> Now your method...we have used that before and it does work. Try it with flour if you like Cajun cooking...brown your flour in the oven just like that sugar... to make your rouge's...lighter or darker depending on how you want to go. Gumbo gets easy and fast since your not stirring a rouge for two hours! And you get that dreaded flour taste.



No, it's caramel sugar. Which means I can make anything I want caramel flavored without having to deal with actual caramel! That's a win in my book, because I don't have to make additional calculations to compensate for liquid caramel and can substitute the brown sugar for the white at a 1:1 ratio.

Now, cooking or pressure cooking the canned milk scares me to death. Luckily I can buy already made dulce de leche here. Which means himself gets his dulce de leche ice cream any time he wants.

I had never thought of prebrowning flour for my roux. This is a total gamechanger. We cook a lot in this house. After this sugar gets done, tomorrow is very likely going to be spent browning sugar.


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## Boatboy24 (May 18, 2016)

Jericurl said:


> Ok guys...
> 
> I went to the grocery store and bought a disposable aluminum tray.
> 5 lbs of sugar is spread out in it and currently baking in the oven at just below 300 degrees.



Well, that didn't take long. 

Anxious to hear your results. I LOVE caramel.


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## Jericurl (May 18, 2016)

Ok, sugar has been in the oven for about 4 hours now.

I turned it down a bit, as it was starting to get a bit soft leaning towards liquid on the very bottom and in the corners. 

I would take a picture but my phone is charging right now.

We plan on leaving it in the oven until we go to bed, then turning off and letting it cool down overnight.
After I get home from work tomorrow I will take it out and run it through the food processor to get rid of any crust rim and/or lumps.


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## Mismost (May 18, 2016)

Jericurl said:


> No, it's caramel sugar. Which means I can make anything I want caramel flavored without having to deal with actual caramel! That's a win in my book, because I don't have to make additional calculations to compensate for liquid caramel and can substitute the brown sugar for the white at a 1:1 ratio.
> 
> Now, cooking or pressure cooking the canned milk scares me to death. Luckily I can buy already made dulce de leche here. Which means himself gets his dulce de leche ice cream any time he wants.
> 
> ...


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## the_rayway (May 19, 2016)

O.M.G. I didn't see the link. I am SO trying this. Love you @jericurl !!


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## Jericurl (May 19, 2016)

Ok, last night I turned off the oven and went to bed.

Checked it this morning and it was pretty much a sheet of sugar.
It broke fairly easily. It's not quite as dark as I would like it, so I'll run it through the food processor to break it up, then spread it out again.

I had it pretty thick in the pan, so I will halve that and see if it makes a difference.


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## wineforfun (May 19, 2016)

Jericurl said:


> Raelene,
> 
> If you clink the link, it takes you to a site that describes spreading sugar out on a sheet



So you used a cookie sheet? The link said to put it in a 9"x13" dish.

I am thinking of making some to backsweeten some apple wine with.


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## Jericurl (May 19, 2016)

wineforfun said:


> So you used a cookie sheet? The link said to put it in a 9"x13" dish.
> 
> I am thinking of making some to backsweeten some apple wine with.



Oops, I mistyped. I put mine in a dish and the sugar was about 2 inches thick all around. I'm going to try to do it a bit thinner and see if that makes a difference.
Worse case scenario, it melts and I have to run it through the food processor again.


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## wineforfun (May 19, 2016)

Jericurl said:


> Oops, I mistyped. I put mine in a dish and the sugar was about 2 inches thick all around. I'm going to try to do it a bit thinner and see if that makes a difference.
> Worse case scenario, it melts and I have to run it through the food processor again.



Ok, gotcha. Thanks for being the "guinea pig" with this experiment. 
Heading on vacation then I am going to give it a go. Again, thinking it sounds real good in some apple wine.


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## Julie (May 19, 2016)

I need to do this over the weekend. I have an apple wine that I want to try this on. Jericurl thank you for posting this!


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## jswordy (May 20, 2016)

Mismost said:


> Ok that ain't caramel...but it does look nice. caramel can be made by throwing cans of Eagle brand canned milk in a Crockpot for 8-10 hours....thick sweet caramel you can eat outta the can with your finger....that's caramel! Awesome stuff and you can make as many cans as you can fit in the crockpot at one time.



[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tLW01cpk4g[/ame]

Also...

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/38234/caramel+from+sweetened+condensed+milk


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## wineforfun (May 20, 2016)

Julie said:


> I need to do this over the weekend. I have an apple wine that I want to try this on. Jericurl thank you for posting this!



Please keep us posted as that is what I want to do with it. I have apples in the freezer I need to make wine with. Thinking of backsweetening with this new "sugar".


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## CheerfulHeart (May 20, 2016)

Jericurl, thank you for posting this! I need to try this method very soon. I really want to make a caramel apple wine and if I make the wine this summer, by winter it should be fairly nice.


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## Kraffty (May 23, 2016)

Well I was excited about this and gave it a try saturday....I'd call it a failure. Don't know if it was me or it just doesn't work. I baked the white granular sugar for about 5 hours at 300, then another 2.5 hours at 275 for additional browning. While it looks great it tastes just like regular sugar. Oh well, hopefully someone has better luck than I did.
Mike


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