Penuche
 
This recipe will make enough for three or four 10-inch rolls of penuche; I usually double the recipe so I have enough penuche to use all of a single batch of caramel.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon white corn syrup (Karo or other)
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 3 Tablespoons whipping cream
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • ⅛ teaspoon soda
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. Place Karo, milk, and whipping cream in a large, heavy pan (I use an old heavy-aluminum pressure cooker pan).
  2. Add remaining ingredients except for soda and vanilla.
  3. Bring to a boil and then stir and cook to softball stage - 238 degrees (2 or 3 drops of syrup can be molded into a soft ball when dropped in cold water).
  4. Add soda (mixture will foam; stir rapidly to make sure it doesn't boil over).
  5. Set aside and cool until lukewarm. Try not to bump or disturb the pan after the liquid quits boiling as that can cause it to sugar. I usually place the pan in a sink of cold water so I don't have to wait so long for it to cool.
  6. Using a wooden spoon or paddle, stir vanilla into cooled mixture and continue stirring until it "breaks." (If you lift the paddle above the pan and let the syrup drip back into the pan, at first it drops in a single stream back into the liquid in the pan. When it is ready, the stream breaks into pieces rather than flowing into the pan in one stream).  Candy sets up almost immediately anyway.
  7. Transfer the candy to a buttered dish and cut into squares or, using buttered hands, form into rolls to use for nut rolls.
  8. Tip: If your candy sets up too quickly or is too hard or crumbly (this usually means you cooked it a little too long), just knead it with lightly buttered hands until it is smooth, pressing out any lumps with your thumb and fingers.
Recipe by Table for Fifty at https://tableforfifty.com/caramel-nut-roll/