National Caramel Day

April 5^th every year is National Caramel Day. Caramel can be created from the mixture of butter, sugar (brown or white), milk, cream and vanilla. Caramel is used widely in flavoring desserts and puddings, as a topping in ice creams and custards. Caramel is a necessary ingredient of many kinds of chocolates, sweets, pastries, pralines, caramel apples, nougats... Caramel becomes more perfectly if it combines with cookies, drinks, ice creams, baked goods.

History of National Caramel Day

By mixing milk and fat into a sugary syrup that has been heated and stirred continuously until it turns light brown, caramel is born. As early as the seventeenth century, American women made candy using sugar and caramelized water. This is an economical candy, so you will easily find it in many recipes. Around 1850, someone discovered that adding milk and a fat product to a cooked sugar mixture resulted in a soft and chewy candy. It's no surprise that soft caramel quickly gained popularity.

Bakers and pastry chefs use caramel to prepare a variety of desserts as a signature ingredient, flavoring or topping. Depending on its consistency, caramel can be used as a syrup or as a glue to keep nuts and popcorn together. In a softer form, the candy makes great caramel apples. Cooked at a higher temperature, caramel can become crispy and perfect for that kind of candy.

The longer you cook the caramel, the darker the color and flavor will be until the sugar becomes bitter and no longer tasty. However, there is no official evidences about the origin or the creator of National Caramel Day.

How to celebrate National Caramel Day

To really make the caramel we all love, there are several approaches. One is to caramelize sugar, then add cream, butter, and vanilla to create the flavors we all love. The other process involves adding them all together and cooking the mixture until the milk is caramelized, however, without the sugar. This type is called 'milk caramel'.

There are many favorite kinds of caramel, the most wonderful way is to enjoy them with your relatives and colleagues on National Caramel Day. You can prepare small bags of mixed caramels, which contain little cards telling the history of this delicacy, and perhaps a recipe for them to try making their own at home! If you're feeling really adventurous, you can bring your own creations!

The best thing about National Caramel Day is that it gives you an opportunity to put this amazing dish into anything you can image. Caramel really works great with just about anything, so whip it up on your own for a traditional marzipan, and you can blend the caramel like a marble, or drizzle it on top and sprinkle walnuts for a special treat.

How about making a batch of apple or pumpkin spiced cupcakes, topping them with a delicious buttercream and topping caramel if you want. These rich flavors and aromas are reminiscent of the fall and winter holidays, and are sure to bring a warm cozy feel to your home while your mouth rejoices with the wonderful taste of caramel in the mouth!

Most people are familiar with Turtle candies, creamy caramel drops made from pecans and dipped in chocolate. These treats are hugely popular no matter where you go and today we bring a unique twist to them. For this dish, you prepare the traditional chocolate cake batter, pour it into the cupcake tray. Then you mix the marble in some caramel and pecans, and set your cupcakes to bake. Once done, top with vanilla ice cream, a dash of caramel and a pecan to finish!

Caramel is truly a wonderful topping that can be used with any fruit such as pear, peach or apple. Better yet, use this as a topping for ice cream on a split banana! Another dish that's just better with caramel is apple pie. Mix some caramel into the apple filling and then drizzle with a delicious, creamy caramel sauce and your cake will range from 'All American' to 'All Star!’. You can choose any ways to celebrate National Caramel Day. Let make sure that you will spread the joy by giving those delicious treats to others.