It’s a brisk, November day in Dallas. I am headed north on I-35 during Friday rush hour, when out of nowhere a little voice beckons to me...
I examine my surroundings, my mind emerging from the banter of a good podcast, and take a sip of my pumpkin spice latte. Suddenly, I know just where I am—I’m approaching Houston Street.
My heart beats faster, my brain releasing a flood of chewy gooey memories, as the urgent voice in my head gets louder.
They’re right here! They’re less than a football field away! It pleads.
I have about 30 seconds to make a choice. I smirk, half scolding myself, and half repressing a squeal of delight, as I flick on my turn signal and move into the right lane.
My heart flip-flops as I exit on Commerce Street and descend upon the most famous block in Dallas— Dealey Plaza. The spot where JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
The School Book Depository stands towering above me, tourists pouring in and out of its museum doors, and I walk the 100 feet of sidewalk to the gift shop on the corner.
There’s no going back now. I see the candy display on the counter, and I have no regrets as I shamelessly pick up 5 little bags of bacon caramels and hand them to the clerk. She looks at me for a moment, amused, and then places them in a bag and takes my cash.
“I’ll take one bag now!”, I exclaim, reaching in and twisting the tie off the little brown sack of candy. I claim my prize, ripping the wax paper off a silky, golden, toffee-like jewel.
I step out into the late autumn sunshine, close my eyes and place the entire piece of candy on my tongue. The sensation is gloriously familiar, an avalanche of sticky sweet sugar and bacon fat melting slowly; the fragrance of burnt sugar, and the aroma of my grandparent’s smoke house drifting through my head.
I open my eyes and grin, deliriously happy, as the chewy knob of bacon caramel softens and liquifies into pure bliss.
In that moment, I make the promise to myself that I will reverse engineer the recipe this weekend, not just for me, but for the whole wide world to enjoy. Because you can’t keep moments of pure bliss like this to yourself. 🙂
From me to you, I present the recipe for the famous, Dealey Plaza Bacon Fat Caramels.
In my mind, any caramel is best enjoyed between friends—and that’s just what I hope you do with this recipe!
Here is the recipe for the Bacon Fat Caramels
If you make the recipe, post it to social media and tag Urban Cowgirl! 🙂
I’d love to see how it turns out!
Bacon Fat Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/4 c. water
- 1/4 c. corn syrup
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. bacon fat
- 1 T. vanilla
- 1 c. cream
- Salt for finishing
- You will also need- parchment paper and spray oil
Instructions
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper so that the excess falls out over the edges. (It will help you remove the cooled caramel candy.) Spray the whole thing with coconut oil spray.
- In a heavy-bottomed, large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water and heat over medium-high heat. Using a wet pastry brush, brush water over the sides of the pan to dissolve any sugar crystals. Clip your candy thermometer onto the side of the pan. Do not stir the sugar after this point.
- Let the sugar syrup come to a boil. It will turn completely translucent, and then eventually golden areas will begin to appear.
- When the caramel begins to reach 300 degrees, add the butter, bacon fat, and lastly the cream. It will begin to froth and boil vigorously, which is why the large saucepan is needed! Stir rapidly with a whisk to make sure everything gets incorporated. When everything is mixed in, stop whisking and return the pan to the heat.
- Continue to heat the caramel to between 245-250 degrees. It will eventually reach a darker brown shade. Whisk in the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Pour this liquid caramel into the baking sheet you prepared, using extreme caution. It is very hot!
- (At this point I recommend sprinkling lightly with sea salt!)
- Let the caramel set up for several hours or overnight. When the caramels have cooled you can cover them with a lid, or foil.
- When the caramels have set, lift the whole slab out and place on a cutting board. Cut into candies with a sharp knife. I cut mine about 1-2 centimeters by 1 inch or so. The cut caramels can be wrapped in wax paper squares and twisted on the ends. (See photo).
- They last 2-3 weeks and are shelf-stable.
- Give to friends for the holidays!
Notes
Nutrition
Cathy says
Does it matter if you use light or dark corn syrup?
Sarah Penrod says
I dont think so!
Anna Yung says
I'm going to try these really soon. Maybe try coating in chocolate?
Sarah Penrod says
I think that would be a really nice addition!
Shyann says
Should the butter & bacon fat be at room temp or should they be melted?
Beth says
What kind of cream do you mean? Whipping cream - 35% or 18% or Half and half? Does it matter?
Sarah Penrod says
Heavy cream or whipping cream! 🙂
Katie says
I made these and am in love. Will definitely be making sure I save any bacon fat we have just for this recipe!
Mason says
I love the caramels i would just recommend less bacon fat than is listed, I will also say that it might have been my fault, I’m going to try it again with less bacon fat.
Sarah Penrod says
Hi Mason!
Thanks for letting me know. I made this recipe very early in my blogging career and haven't gotten a chance to make this recipe in awhile. Please come back and let us know if you continue to think it needs less bacon fat and I will test that out. Thanks so much!
Alyson says
I just made them and think next time I’ll actually use more bacon fat and less butter.
Lawrence Standifer Stevens says
Any luck with the low-carb version? Inquiring Keto Dieters want to know. 🙂
Sarah Penrod says
I have had some success using truvia which is a blend of sugar and erythritol but have not found a method to make soft caramel candies using only sugar alcohols like erythritol. It turns into hard brittle candy. If you find a method let me know and I will try it with this recipe!
Cyndy says
Where you able to make them lowcarb?
Sarah Penrod says
SO far we have been unable to find a methos to make a soft candy that does not contain any sugar. If you find a method, please let me know and I will try that with this recipe. Thank you! 🙂
Meredth says
any idea how to make these low carb?
Sarah Penrod says
I'm working on that for Christmas Meredth!