Recipes : Pecan-Caramel Spiders : Food Network

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Pecan-Caramel Spiders
From Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional

Directions
Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly
spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans!Xabout 3 or 4 pecans
each?o spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.

Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook
over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring,
raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack
stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and
vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium

and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball
stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove
from the heat and cool for a minute.

Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make
the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make
the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an
extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over
very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled
with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not
touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth.
(Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50

percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat
until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with
jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

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