Pumpkin & peanut salted caramels
With the cooler months upon us, it’s time to enjoy pumpkin season. Natalie Homan adds a touch of sweetness with these pumpkin and peanut salted caramels.
makes 30 mini bars
1 cup roasted & salted peanuts
⅔ cup pumpkin puree*
1¼ cups thickened cream
2 cups white sugar
⅓ cup maple syrup
¼ cup glucose
¼ cup water
60g butter, cubed
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp flaky sea salt
Line a 20x20cm baking tin with baking paper and add the peanuts in an even layer. Heat the pumpkin puree and cream together in a small saucepan over low heat. Place the sugar, maple syrup, glucose and water into a medium, heavy-based saucepan, stir well and bring to the boil then turn down the heat to medium and cook until the mixture reaches 118C, stirring occasionally. Slowly pour in the pumpkin and cream mixture, whisking continuously. Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 118C (this can take 30-40 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir through butter and lemon juice. Carefully pour into the baking tin, set aside to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating for at least 30 minutes to allow to set. Portion into bars 7cmx2cm and sprinkle with sea salt before serving.
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* Here are Natalie Homan’s tips to the best-ever puree:
It is important the pumpkin puree is as dry as possible. This is best achieved by roasting in a 190C oven, lightly coated in oil, until tender. Blend until smooth then place the puree in a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Fold over excess cheesecloth to cover the puree, place a small plate and a weight on top (for example tinned tomatoes). Place in the refrigerator overnight. The amount of liquid extruded will vary (especially between varieties) but as a general rule 1kg of pumpkin will yield 2 cups of puree (I used Kent pumpkin for all the following recipes).
This recipe first appeared in the May 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
