Licorice Caramels

Total Time: 2 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (do not substitute margarine)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon anise extract
• 1/2 teaspoon black food coloring or 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring

Recipe

• 1 line a 9-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
• 2 butter foil: set aside.
• 3 melt butter in heavy 3-quart saucepan over low heat.
• 4 add sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt, mix well.
• 5 carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan.
• 6 cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thermometer registers 244f degrees , firm ball stage.
• 7 reaching firm ball stage should take 15-20 minutes (be careful, mixture scorches easily).
• 8 remove from heat.
• 9 remove candy thermometer from saucepan.
• 10 add anise and color, stir to mix.
• 11 quickly pour candy without scraping into prepared pan.
• 12 cool several hours or until firm.
• 13 use foil to lift and out of pan onto cutting board.
• 14 peel off and discard foil.
• 15 with buttered sharp knife, cut immediately into one inch squares.
• 16 wrap individually in waxed paper or plastic wrap.
• 17 makes 64 pieces, about 2-3/4 pounds.
• 18 note: mixture must be stirred constantly as tiny crystals that form tend to scorch quickly.