Name: Cocoanut Cream Caramels
Ingredients: 6 pounds sugar; 10 pounds glucose; Water (to dissolve sugar and glucose); Fine powdered cocoanut (as needed); 8 pounds fondant; 10 pounds sugar (for dipping); Water (to dissolve sugar for dipping)

Cocoanut Cream Caramels

Ingredients

Directions

Make the base

In a kettle, combine 6 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of glucose, and enough water to dissolve them. Cook until the mixture reaches 236°F (113°C).
Remove from heat and stir in fine powdered coconut until it reaches the desired consistency.
Pour the mixture onto a slab lined with heavy oiled paper, spreading it to about ½ inch thick.

Add the fondant layers

Place iron bars around the mixture. Melt 8 pounds of fondant and spread half of it over the top.
Let it set for a moment, then carefully turn the entire batch over and remove the paper.
Place the iron bars around again and spread the remaining fondant on top.
Once cooled, cut into small squares.

Dip and dry

For dipping, cook 10 pounds of sugar with water to dissolve it until it reaches 238°F (114°C).
Remove from heat and stir gently to partially grain the mixture.
Dip each square in the syrup one at a time and place them in a wire screen or coarse sieve to dry.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Sugar: Provides sweetness and, when cooked, the firm body of the caramel base.
Glucose: Inhibits crystallization, keeping the candy smooth and less grainy.
Fondant: Forms the smooth, sugary top layers that set over the caramel base.
Fine powdered coconut: Adds coconut flavor and body to the candy mixture.

The step that matters

Stirring the dipping syrup to partially grain it. Gentle stirring after cooking to 238°F starts controlled sugar crystallization, giving the coating a soft, opaque finish. Overstirring or uneven cooling can cause large crystals or a gritty texture.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.