I post this for my own use, because when I am in Michigan or New York, and I need my recipes, I just turn to this blog. But if you happen upon it, well, just consider yourself lucky.
Licorice Caramels (oh, yeah)
1 C butter
2 c sugar
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 c)
1 c light corn syrup
1/8 t salt
1 t. anise extract
1/2 t black or red food coloring paste
Line 9x9x2" pan with foil, extending foil over the edges. Butter the foil.
In a heavy 3 qt saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Mix well. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly till it reaches 220 degrees or thread stage. dip a spoon in mixture and trickle it into cold water. if it maintains a thread-like state, it's ready. A little more firm than soft ball, but not as hard as hard-ball. Mixture should boil at a steady rate over entire surface. It will scorch easily, so continuously scrape bottom of pan. Remove from heat, remove candy thermometer, and stir in anise and food coloring.
Quickly pour candy, without scraping sides, into buttered-foil-lined pan. Cool for several hours or till firm. Use foil to lift candy out of pan onto cutting board. Peel foil away. With a buttered sharp knife cut immediately into 1 inch squares. Wrap each piece individually in waxed paper.
WRAPPER: cut six inch strip of paper, then trim to 4 inch pieces. so each piece is 6x4 inches. Wrap around caramels and twist ends like taffy wrap.
