Espresso & Almond Caramels

It doesn't look much :P :D but trust me it taste really good ! But then I'm a coffee junkie , sort of . I love the contrasting texture as I added chopped almonds at the last minutes . Some caramel pix that I've seen online seems smooth but mine's full of pockmarks - the story of my life heh ! Since I'm fond of substituting and reducing most recipe ingredients , this one is no exception :P I guess that's the main reason . Or maybe it needs more cooking time , using no candy thermometer or whatever factor thingie tsk tsk ( NEED TO BUY CANDY THERMOMETER ! ) I had to re-melt  :P the caramel the second time , cook it for another 2 minutes so that it's consistency will be more stable but still soft and slightly chewy -it does the trick but that didn't smooth out the surface . Oh well , taste is more important anyway :P :D Yeah yeah , keep telling yourself that hahahahaha

Coffee Caramels ( stolen er adapted from Betty Rosbottom )

 Makes 64 caramels

4 T ( 1/2 stick - 56 grams ) unsalted butter , plus extra for greasing baking pan
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 T powdered instant coffee ( I used espresso )
3/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar ( 1/4 cup )
1/2 cup light corn syrup ( generous 1/4 cup Lyle's golden syrup )
pinch of salt
55 grams chopped roasted almonds
vegetable oil for cutting

Candy thermometer

* Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil , generously buttered . set aside .
* Put butter and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat . stir until the butter has melted . Add coffee and continue to stir until it dissolved . Remove the pan from heat and set aside . Do not worry if the coffee and the butter seem to separate .
* Combine the cream , sugars , corn syrup and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan . Set it over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a long-handled wooden spoon , until sugars have dissolved and the mixtures begins to bubble , about 4-5 minutes.
* Increase the heat to med-high and put a candy thermometer in the saucepan . Continue to stir until caramel reaches 240-242 degrees ( The soft-ball stage ) on the thermometer , about 10 minutes . Remove the pan from heat and stir in the reserved butter mixture . Stir thoroughly until well combine . Pour the mixture into the prepared pan . The caramel will be about 1/4 inch thick .
* Oil the blade of the knife and cut the caramel into eight 1-inch wide strips .

* I cut mine into 2-inch strips .

 

I smooth out some of the pesky pockmarks ^-^

If you're wondering what are those black spots ? :D uhmm some espresso granules that I sprinkled but just won't melt   ^-^''