These Calamansi Caramel are coated in chocolate from the Philippines. The caramel is made with fresh calamansi juice. So simple!
Truth be told these came out as a happy accidents. Which lots of good recipes come from. I was making some calamansi curd and decided to up the quantity of calamansi juice and sugar.
As it kept boiling I noticed it wasn’t getting creamy. When I took it off the heat I noticed it was super gooey. Turns out I made some Calamansi Caramel. Go figure.
The first thing I wanted to do with it was coat it in some Auro chocolate from the Philippines and make some bonbons.
Ingredients for Calamansi Caramel
To make the caramel you will need the following ingredients
Fresh Calamansi Juice – With a recipe like this with minimal ingredients fresh is best! Or at least get the frozen ones from your local Filipino Grocery Store. You are going to need 1 ⅓ Cup of it. I know. Lots.
Sugar – Use good cane sugar here going to use the same amount as the calamansi juice.
Egg Yolks – As I said I was making calamansi curd originally so it does have two egg yolks in it.
Salt – All sweets need a counter point. A pinch of salt for balance.
Cornstarch – We are just going to use a bit to help thicken it.
Butter – For flavor and smoothness.
How to Make the Calamansi Caramel
There is not candy thermometer needed here. Just some ice water to test out the doneness of the caramel is all you need.
Make sure you use a heavy bottomed sauce pan for this. To start add the calamansi juice, sugar, egg yolks and salt to the sauce pan. Mix well and turn on the heat to medium high. You are just going to let it get to a boil. Mix occasionally. It will take about 5 minutes to come up to a boil.
Then turn down the heat to medium low to leave it at a simmer for 10 minutes stirring it now and then.
Once it starts to get thick, mix the cornstarch with a bit of water and mix until there are no lumps. Add it into the caramel. Leave to simmer again for 5 minutes until it starts to get thicker.
To test drop a spoonful of the Calamansi Caramel into some ice water. If it holds its shape it’s done. If it melts into the water keep simmering for 5 minutes and repeat the test until you get a nice ball of caramel in ice water.
At that stage finish it off with a pat of butter and mix it in well. Take off the heat and leave to cool on the counter overnight.
Make the Chocolate Bonbons
Now the fun part! Making the bonbons! I used these flower molds to make mine, but you can use any chocolate mold.
Start by melting 2 cups of Auro chocolate with ¼ cup of coconut oil. Melt it over low heat stirring constantly. Take off the heat and leave to cool once it’s all nice and smooth.
Prepare the Calamansi Caramel by dividing it into 12 portions. Using an oiled tablespoon is helpful and placing them on plastic wrap makes them easier to pick up.
Next pour some chocolate into the molds. Just filling them up to ⅓ is good and leave to harden a bit. Then drop the calamansi caramel portions in the middle.
Then fill up the molds with the remaining chocolate and leave to harden. You can place them in the refrigerator to help speed up the process. It will help you unmold the chocolates as well.
Once the chocolate is super hard peel off the silicon molds.
Serving and Storage of the Calamansi Caramel Bonbons
You can eat them right away. I did!
I recommend putting them back in the refrigerator if you have any left over, especially if you are in a hot and humid environment. They can stay in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
These Calamansi Caramel Chocolate Bonbons are so cute and make great gifts!