Why It Works
- Cooking over medium heat ensures that the sugar completely dissolves before the water boils off.
- Minimal caramelization matches the flavor of real Milk Duds.
- A generous dose of cream makes the caramels soft but chewy.
- Coating the caramels by hand is super fast and keeps the shell thin.
So far as I'm concerned, there's only one candy at the movie theater concession stand: Milk Duds. From their unassuming name to their humble appearance (best described as a brownish blob), Milk Duds are a study in simplicity. No geometric shape, no logo, no colorful candy shell, no nuts, no smarmy mascot. Just chewy caramel and chocolate; the end. A straightforward story, perhaps, but one that reminds us it's what's inside that counts.
Making the Caramels
Now, there are plenty of recipes in this world for chocolate-covered caramels, but a Milk Dud is unique. Its caramel core is chewy and mild, without any bitterness at all. To make a caramel like that, I keep things simple, with sugar, salt, and cream. The technique itself is exactly like the one for myeasy caramel sauce, but with the ratios and temperatures adjusted to make a chewy candy instead.
Where my sauce is cooked to just 225°F (107°C), my candy goes all the way up to 260°F (127°C). That drives off more water, making it thick enough to slice. It also has less cream, so it's not as tender as my sauce would be if cooked to the same stage (giving your jaw a real workout, a hallmark of the Milk Dud experience). Finally, my candy hinges on a much lower degree of caramelization, so the flavor stays light and dairy-centric, not dark and bitter.
The real difference between the sauce and the candy, though, is in how they're handled. Caramel candy is poured into a parchment-lined pan, then chopped into bite-size pieces with a knife. I also like to squish each one by hand because a) it's super fun, and b) Milk Duds are delightfully amorphous.
Coating the Caramels
The next step is to temper the chocolate, which you can read about in Kenji's excellent and incredibly thoroughguide. Without that crucial step, the chocolate coating would be tacky and soft at room temperature. Fortunately, Kenji's outlined several different methods for tempering chocolate, which means you can be sure to find a technique that suits your style.
With the chocolate properly tempered, the dipping phase is childishly simple: Mix all the caramels into the chocolate, then fish 'em out by hand.
I know you neat freaks are probably climbing the walls now, but it's all for the best. For starters, individually dipping 50 caramels would take forever, and it can be challenging to keep chocolate in temper for that length of time. Plus, traditional dipping methods make it hard to get a sufficiently thin shell, since tempered chocolate tends to drape itself over the caramel like a thick blanket. That ruins the caramel-to-chocolate ratio, which screws up the balance of texture and flavor on the whole.
It may be messy, but actually handling the caramels helps everything move much faster; you can dip all 50 pieces in about two minutes. By gathering up a handful of caramels and then gently pressing each one between your thumb and forefinger, you'll squeeze off the excess chocolate, leaving only a thin coat behind.
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Besides, there are worse fates than being covered in chocolate. Like not having a giant pile of homemade Milk Duds to call your own.
October 2016
Recipe Details
Homemade Milk Duds Recipe
Active60 mins
Total3 hrs 30 mins
Serves50 pieces
For the Caramel:
4 ounces water(1/2 cup; 115g)
8 1/2 ounces sugar(1 1/4 cups; 240g)
3/4 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
6 ounces heavy cream(3/4 cup; 170g)
For the Chocolate Coating:
8 ounces finely chopped dark or milk chocolate (1 1/3 cups; 225g), such as Callebaut or Valrhona; do not use chips
Directions
For the Caramel: Nestle a large sheet of parchment paper into an 8-inch cake pan to roughly cover the bottom and sides. In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, combine water, sugar, and salt over medium heat. Stir with a fork until sugar is fully dissolved and syrup comes to a rolling boil, about 4 minutes. Simmer, without stirring, until syrup is honey-gold, roughly 7 minutes. Immediately add cream and reduce heat to medium-low, adjusting the heat lower if needed to keep caramel from foaming too high. (This is more likely on an electric stove due to residual heat.) Stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula, simmer until caramel registers 260°F (127°C) on a digital thermometer, about 7 minutes. Immediately pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil, and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Peel caramel from parchment, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 50 pieces (approximately 1/4 ounce or 7g each) with a sharp knife; don't worry about being too precise with their shape or size. If you like, use your fingers to mold the pieces into a more oval, Milk Dud–like shape.
For the Chocolate Coating: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Temper chocolate according to one of the methods described here. Fold all caramel pieces into tempered chocolate. With a clean hand, scoop up pieces like handfuls of marbles, then slide each one over your index finger with your thumb into your other hand (think of how you'd dole out a handful of M&M's) and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature until fully set, about 15 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2016__10__20160929-milk-duds-vicky-wasik-collage-1-22c456e925c64e8b8808689feecea150.jpg "Homemade Milk Duds Recipe (2)")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2016__10__20160929-milk-duds-vicky-wasik-collage-2-49b94b61603d4231a3d9d7f72687533a.jpg "Homemade Milk Duds Recipe (3)")
Special Equipment
8-inch anodized aluminum cake pan (round or square), 2-quart stainless steel saucier, heat-resistant spatula, digital thermometer with clip-on attachment
Notes
For the most authentic flavor, choose a dark chocolate with 65 to 72% cocoa solids. Brands like Callebaut or Valrhona are easiest to temper, but any high-quality chocolate made with real cocoa butter will do.
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