A couple of years ago, David Lebovitz blogged about making caramelised white chocolate – a technique he’d learnt during a training visit to the Valrhona Institute.
I was instantly hooked – whilst I’ve never been a big fan of white chocolate, this caramelised version is something completely different. It’s an easy process, but time consuming, and what you see in the jars above is pure white chocolate, with nothing added.
It’s been a while since I’ve made this, but a recent comment by Isabella on one of my old posts inspired me to cook up another batch last weekend.
I used Callebaut White Chocolate, which is slightly lower in cacao than the 30% suggested by Lebovitz, and as a result the chocolate went quite dry and grainy during the cooking process. After a few minutes resting time out of the oven, it melted a little, and the graininess sieved out as it was poured into the jars.
I began with two trays of white chocolate callets – interestingly the purple tray baked much faster than the grey one. Both went into a preheated 120C (with fan) oven…
The trays were taken out and stirred every ten minutes…
After an hour (stirring every ten minutes), the chocolate had darkened and was quite stiff…
It needed a good stir…
…and after a few minutes resting time out of the oven, it loosened up a little…
As the melted chocolate was quite grainy, we strained it through a sieve into clean jars…
The grey pan was cooking more slowly than the aubergine one, and we ended up giving it an extra 15 minutes in the oven. As a result, the chocolate was more caramelised, and you can see from the very top photo that the two jars on the right are a deeper brown than the one on the left…
One thing to note – the chocolate in the jars will set solid as it cools. It will also bloom, with the cocoa butter separating out in a slightly worrying mould-like fashion. It doesn’t look particularly attractive, but it won’t hurt the chocolate at all.
Just warm the jars slightly in the microwave (remove the lids first), and they will re-melt to gooey decadence.
Any suggestions on what to do with our new jars of liquid gold?
In the past I’ve stirred it into whipped cream, tempered and set it into bars and made a caramelised white chocolate bundt cake. I’m still trying to figure out a cookie or brownie recipe to work the chocolate into, and I’m pretty sure it would make a truly amazing icecream.
Of course, all these machinations might be for nought – we usually end up eating it out of the jar with a spoon!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Ha! languishing in my cupboard, is a jar of solidified ‘caramelised chocolate’. I made it using Green and Black’s white chocolate, which is full of arty bits of vanilla flecks, and I don’t think that was the right sort of white chocolate….. I remember thinking that it tasted a whole lot like a chocolate bar called Caramac that was popular when I was a child, I don’t think it is made anymore. Anyway do you think I could melt it back again in the microwave after all this time? Please advise Caramel Chocolate Countess, as I trust you implicitly :D
Joanna love, you are too funny.. :)
Yes, I think you could microwave it and see how it goes. It only takes a few short bursts to get it soft and gooey again (remember to stir it though). I re-melt my jars several times and they don’t seem to suffer from it. I’m going to try making a CWC cookie soon, will post the recipe up if it works…
xx
wow, i’ve never heard of caramelised white chocolate…but it certainly looks tempting. Would you substitute it for normal caramel in recipes?
I’ve never tried substituting it for caramel, but I do use it in place of white chocolate all the time. My Pete thinks every white chocolate recipe is improved by the substitution.. :) Because it sets rock hard, it might behave differently in recipes than proper caramel?
Oh, it looks just as delicious this time round as it did the first time! I think I’d use it swirled into vanilla icecream, it’d be just amazing! Look forward to hearing how you used this batch soon.
Thanks C! And thanks for being my blogfriend for so long – it’s been two years since I first blogged about it! :)
I’ve tempered some of it into a block and cut it into caramelised white chocolate chips – now just need to stop eating them and try to find something to do with it! ;-)
Simply awesome! You know, white chocolate is my favorite thing, I know it’s not too gourmet of me, but I rather have white than dark
honestly, I would eat it as you mentioned, straight from the jar with a spoon – but I bet dipping strawberries into it would be amazing…
or using as filling for a layered cake…
also, you know those Argentinians cookies called “alfajores”? you could probably use that as the filling… oh, I’m salivating already
Sally, as a cookie filling is an inspired idea! I must have a play around..thanks for the suggestion!
Oh, “ALFAJORES”!!!!!!! Two years ago an Argentinian friend introduced me to that delicious cookie that has wonderful
DULCE DE LECHE filling. The cookie and its filling is one of the culinary marvels of the universe!!!
Gian, we’ve made dulce de leche before, and had great fun with it! We made it in the microwave:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/02/24/dulce-de-leche/
…and also on the cooktop!
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2010/02/26/dulce-de-leche-from-scratch/
That looks so yummy! I wonder if it work as the caramel layer in millionaire’s shortbread or a banoffee pie? This site also has a recipe for using it in a version of hot chocolate that looks pretty tempting… http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2009/01/hot-caramelized-white-chocolate.html
Kate, thanks for the link! I don’t think it would work as a caramel layer unless it was mixed with something like cream first – it sets too hard when it cools (back to regular white chocolate consistency).
It looks very delicious and I too would spoon it from the jar, so I am not going to make it.
Deb, you are very restrained. :)
icecream…now that would be deeeelicious! Just looking at all your kitchen tools to make this, that would have been a lot of ‘licking-the-pots-clean’!
Brydie, yep, we did a lot of licking..hahaha
Lord Help Me!!!!!! I just saw your photo of Dulce de Leche TRUFFLES… I will make them, it’s a must!!!… I will eat so many I will go extinct!!!! One doesn’t have to guess as to how delicious they will be. Thank you for directing me to the sites (and, oooh, those dulce de leche sweet rolls(!), my diet is now officially kaput).
Recently my friends Sonja and Henry from Columbia South America taught how to make dulce de leche in an instant. For years I would simmer a can of sweetened condensed milk in a good amount of water at a very low heat for two hours, this worked beautifully, but sometimes time was of the essence… Sonja and Henry instructed me to place a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk into a pressure cooker, put in enough water to come half way up the can, place the lid on; on a high flame bring the pressure up to full steam then put the flame to a low setting and cook away for ten minutes. Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to lower by placing the pot under cold running water. The can should cool for about half an hour before opening it.
Now, back to your article showing the dulce de leche sweet rolls… Help!
Gian, thank you for the instructions, but I’d be too scared to put a sealed can in the pressure cooker. The thing scares me at the best of times! :)
Truffles, yes, I have to make some caramelised white chocolate truffles! :)
Wow that does look fabulous! I’d love to give this a go one day-I have accidentally over cooked chocolate but not like that and not to such a tasty result! :P
Lorraine, I think Valrhona use it to make filling for their chocolate – I must play around with making it into a ganache…
That does look amazing, Celia! And all of the ideas above: ice cream, caramelised white chocolate chips (for cookies or ice cream), strawberries dipped…….I’m drooling now. ;-) I love white chocolate; am bookmarking this right now!
Abby, it’s quite easy to do if you’ve got a bit of time to fuss over it, but my advice is to make more than you think you need. It’s a great talking piece and everyone wants to try it! :)
I’d never heard of this before, but I think it sounds like such a lovely use for white chocolate, as I never really liked it being so sweet and without much depth to it.
What about the caramelised white chcolate mousse they made on Master Chef, you could try somrething like that perhaps? Or even better- caramelised hot white chocolate…..yumm….
Did they make caramelised white chocolate on Master Chef? I missed that. But I think your hot chocolate idea is even better..thanks Becca! :)
If I was a kid I’m sure I would slowly breathe out the word “wicked”! Caramelised white chocolate ice cream sounds divine – nah, it sounds “wicked”!!
Jan darling, you’re so hip.. ;-) My kids say that… ;-)
Well, I never!!
Never heard of caramelised chocolate before, that is.
What a brilliant invention, although it would surely be disastrous for me to have it in the house. I’d very much like to see a brownie recipe with this in it, though.
Amanda, haven’t quite figured out how to work it into a brownie yet. I tempered a couple of the jars, so now I have a big slab of caramelised white chocolate to mess around with, and I’ve cut some of it into chips. Will let you know how I go! :)
I’d never heard of this – not sure I’d be patient enough to make it. I’ll just have to wait until I come across a jar. Lovely to read about and view YOU making it though.
Sally, I wish you lived closer, because I don’t think you’ll come across a jar retail any time soon. It’s very unattractive when it sets – all white and blooming, not exactly merchandisable! :)
Oh yum this looks fabulous. I’d like it spread on shortbread or over icecream. Delicious!
Claire, it would be nice on shortbread, but I think it would set straight away over icecream. I need to find a way to put it in icecream! :)
Oh, my goodness, I’ve never heard of this but I LIKE IT! I vote for midnight visits to the fridge with a spoon… a very, very large spoon, if you don’t mind. ;)
Not the fridge, the microwave! It sets rocky hard in the jar, so you’ve got to zap it to soften it each time. It’s a little too edible, even when solid.. ;-)
Oh that sounds gooooooood! I don’t like white chocolate much but I’d give that a go!
Mrs Bok, I’m not a white chocolate fan either, but truly, this is quite different. It’s the only way we eat straight white chocolate at our place now! :)
The last time I made it, I put chunks of it into a bread pudding with thin slices of apple. I called it Sulcata Bread Pudding in the spirit of turtle desserts, but I named it after a tortoise because of the white chocolate instead of dark chocolate. The tortoise goes with the caramel idea too. The chunks of melty white chocolate were excellent.
Bethany, you sent me to google to look up sulcata tortoises! Thanks for the great suggestions – the strawberries and cacao nibs would have been an interesting flavour combo…
Oh man, I forgot. I’ve also dipped strawberries into the caramelized white chocolate and THEN dipped them in cocoa nibs. Those were quite delicious as well, but the name is far less interesting.
YUMMMM!!! These would make a great macaron filling as a ganache. Could you also freeze it in balls to harden up and insert in to a molten pudding to ooze everywhere?
Nic, that does sound like a good idea – you wouldn’t need to freeze it either, as it sets rock hard (although not pretty unless it’s tempered)…hmmm…now you’ve got me thinking! :)
I can attest – it does taste good. Great photos by the way.
Nice to catch up last week, Dave. :)
Looks truly delicious. am very tempted to give this a go but know that I will end up eating it all even before it has a chance to solidify!
Anna, it’s hard to resist! I’ve been baking with it today…
wow Celia, this is truly amazing and so easy :) I would add it to my brownie recipe, and ice cream seems like a good bet as well. I am amazed that the different coloured tins cooked differently. Have a super day :)
Thanks Tandy! One of the baking pans is a thicker clay than the other, but I was surprised by the pronounced difference in cooking times as well..
Hmmmm I’d forgotten how good this stuff was and I truly believe that this is one of the best uses for white chocolate.
Gill, I’m not a fan of straight white chocolate unless it’s baked, so this is a good alternative for our place!
This is new to me, but it looks so much like “dulce de leche”
Norma, similar but quite different in how they cool – the DDL stays soft in the jar, whereas the chocolate hardens solid. Which means it can’t be used in quite the same was as DDL…
OMG! I’m going to have to try this. I’m not a real fan of white chocolate and I have about 2lbs of Calebaut callets sitting in my freezer. I’m thinking, either some choux paste or puff pastry, a little vanilla icecream/whipping cream and this drizzled over the top. Man, my mouth is watering thinking about it. :)
Cat, I used the Callebaut – remember that it’s going to go a bit stiff and grainy in the oven, so give it a few minutes to rest and soften up before sieving it into the jar. It would be very nice over profiteroles! :)
It looks fantastic, but funny – the question that I was going to ask was what would you use it for… But, then sometimes its just lovely to have a tasty treat!
Fiona, it actually has been a bit tricky finding things to do with it – so far the best things seem to be to temper it into a block of eating chocolate, or eat it with a spoon! I’ve made cookies and they’re quite good, but I’m not sure they’re actually better than the straight chocolate!
Wow Celia, this sounds amazing and I’ve of course put it straight on to my to do list. I’m not a fan of white chocolate to be eaten as a bar, but I do like it for cooking. However, I suspect, I might like this even more. Have you any pictures of your tempered bars? Agree with Joanna, they sound just like caramac.
Choc, here you go.. :)
wow – caramelized white chocolate sounds DIVINE!!
yum, it looks like what happens when you cook a can of condensed milk.
A little different, because it sets rock hard, whereas the dulce de leche (from the condensed milk) stays soft!
HI Celia,
Could you please share with us your tempering method. Thanks.
Justin, sure…I wrote it up a couple of years ago here:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/06/26/how-to-temper-chocolate/
One thing – my friend Christina now uses this method very successfully, only she uses a warm wheat heatpack wrapped in plastic to keep the chocolate at temper while she works it.
Hope that helps, and thanks for stopping by!
Celia
Hi Celia,
Sorry, I was not clear enough, I wanted to ask how to temper caramelized white chocolate, do you cool it down and then start tempering as normal chocolate?
To caramelized it, I just chuck it in the oven, 100 degrees, mash it with fork every 20-30 minutes until happy with the colour, it comes out beautifully smooth.
I made chocolate bonbons, you can see it here: http://i.imgur.com/2wDRE.jpg I just let it cool down to 29-30 degrees Celsius, but as you can see it bloomed.
Oh, I just found you post “Caramelised White Choc Bar” :)
Justin, sorry I misunderstood…what I now do with the caramelised white chocolate is I reheat it until liquid (about 110F) and then add callets of regular white chocolate in, stir it and allow it to cool to about 86F. (I actually always work in metric except for chocolate, as I taught myself to temper in Fahrenheit!). It results in a dilution of the caramel flavour, but the finished chocolate holds its temper quite well. Hope this helps!
And in case anyone else is interested, here is the link to the bars:
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/06/11/caramelized-white-chocolate-bar/
Cheers, Celia
Thanks Celia.
I may try this weekend.