Fantales are one of my favourite Australian lollies, because who doesn’t love Caramel! And of course there is all that trivia to learn from the wrappers.
The good news is that these are pretty easy to replicate by making traditional caramel and dipping it in chocolate. In my opinion these taste even better than the real thing!
When making caramel it’s important to keep in mind how easy it is to burn. It’s always better to bring the temperature up gradually. I personally prefer using an infrared thermometer to a traditional candy thermometer as it’s easier to use and you can check different parts of the saucepan to see what the hottest and coolest areas are. This gives you an idea of how quickly the mixture as a whole will heat to the temperature you want. But candy thermometers are fine if that’s what you have.
At higher altitudes you will need to reduce the temperature to account for your elevation.
Note that what is called thickened cream in Australia is known as heavy cream in the U.S. and double cream in the U.K.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CARAMEL
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup glucose or corn syrup
1 cup thickened cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE CHOCOLATE
1/2 cup dark chocolate
1/2 cup milk chocolate
5 tablespoons butter
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Line a square 9 inch by 9 inch pan with baking, or parchment, paper.
2. Place the sugar, syrup, butter, salt and half a cup of the cream in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Stir in the other half of the cream and slowly bring the mixture up to the target temperature. Stop stirring once you have added the rest of the cream. You want to take the mixture off when it reaches around 120-127 C, or 250-260 F. Keep in mind that the higher the temperature, the harder the caramel will be. Be careful to bring the temperature up slowly so that you don’t risk burning the caramel, it can accelerate quickly in the latter stages.
3. When it reaches the target temperature quickly mix in the vanilla extract, then remove from the heat and pour into the lined tin.
4. When the caramel has set, cut it into small Fantales sized pieces using a sharp knife. If the knife sticks you can grease it with butter or cooking oil.
Prepare the chocolate
1. Line a plate or baking sheet with baking, or parchment, paper.
6. Combine the chocolate pieces with the butter and heat the mixture. This can by done by placing the mixture in a microwave at a high temperature. Heat for around 20 seconds, then remove and stir. Repeat this process until the mixture is smooth.
Alternatively you can boil a large pot of water, and place the chocolate and butter inside of a smaller saucepan inside of the larger pan. Make sure the saucepan with the chocolate mixture is not exposed to direct heat. Stir the mixture until melted through.
If the mixture is too thick, add more butter. If it is too thin, add more chocolate.
7. Toss a few, but not many, caramel pieces into the chocolate mix. When coated, quickly scoop each piece out using a spoon or tongs and place the pieces on the lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat this process with all pieces. Make sure not to leave the caramel in the melted chocolate for too long or it will also melt.
8. Place the chocolate covered caramels in the fridge until set. Serve and enjoy!