Salted Caramel Strawberries

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Salted Caramel Strawberries
A quick dip in luscious caramel and a salty roll in finely chopped nuts turns fresh strawberries into a gourmet treat. Top picks: A ripe berry will have a shiny, deep red color from the tip of the berry to beneath the green cap. Check the carton from top to bottom for any damaged or moldy fruit—they’ll cause the others to deteriorate quickly.

Ingredients

  • 20 large fresh strawberries
  • 40 caramels
  • 3 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
  • Wax paper

Preparation

  1. Pat strawberries completely dry with paper towels.
  2. Microwave caramels, 3 Tbsp. whipping cream, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a 1-qt. microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 3 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 1-minute intervals.
  3. Dip each strawberry halfway into caramel mixture. Roll in nuts, and place on lightly greased wax paper. Let stand 15 minutes.
  4. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 8 hours.

Note

For testing purposes only, we used Kraft Caramels

Salted Caramel-Chocolate Pecan Pie

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Salted Caramel-Chocolate Pecan Pie
A cross between a fudge pie and pecan pie, this is all the more stunning if you arrange the pecans from the center in a spiral pattern.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup 100% cacao unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup toasted chopped pecans
  • 1 (9-inch) unbaked deep-dish piecrust shell
  • 1 recipe
  • Salted Caramel Topping

Preparation

  1. Prepare Filling: Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add eggs, stirring until well blended. Fold in chopped pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell.
  2. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. (Filling will be loose but will set as it cools.) Remove from oven to a wire rack.
  3. Arrange pecan halves on pie. Top with warm caramel. Cool 15 minutes; sprinkle with sea salt.

Note: We tested with Hershey’s 100% Cacao Special Dark Cocoa and Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.

Salted Caramel Topping

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 cups toasted pecan halves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

  1. Bring sugar, lemon juice and cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. (Do not stir.)
  2. Boil, swirling occasionally after sugar begins to change color, 8 minutes or until dark amber. (Do not walk away from the pan, as the sugar could burn quickly once it begins to change color.)
    Remove from heat; add cream and butter.
  3. Stir constantly until bubbling stops and butter is incorporated (about 1 minute).
  4. Stir in table salt.