Canning Chocolate and/or Caramel sauce

[Sunnyb]

I would like to be able to give these as holiday gifts, I cannot find any recipes, does anyone have any and is it SAFE??

Thanks much

:D

Sunny

[gypho]

Welcome, Sunnyb!

No, I don't have any recipes for canning either of these. Sounds like a good idea though, if it works. Hope someone here can help you!

Again, welcome!

gypho

[hillbilly_mom]

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/nchfp/factsheets/choc_sauce.html

Anything I can find says it is unsafe to can it, but I am going to call my extention office tomorrow to see if they came up with a recipe since this was printed.

[Shamrock1121]

I would like to be able to give these as holiday gifts, I cannot find any recipes, does anyone have any and is it SAFE??

Thanks much

:D

Sunny

Sunny - These recipes, even though they are heat processed, are unsafe because they are low acid foods. Check out this web site for more information and a safe freezer recipe - http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/extrapidresponse/images/december.pdf

-Karen

[hillbilly_mom]

I called my extension office this morning. I told her what I found on the internet, but wanted to see if they had found a recipe since that information had been printed. She said she would call around to other offices and check it out. She called me back an hour later and said that there are no recipes because the chance of botulism is too high in both the chocolate and caramel sauce. She recommends freezing both.

Sorry it wasn't better news.

[MNMOM]

I have frozen Hot Fudge Sauce with good results, I haven't tried caramel sauce for freezing.

[Pigzzilla]

I have made this Chocolate raspberry sauce for several years. You can use fresh or frozen berries. It is kind of touchy , sometimes it sets very firm. If I want to use it seedless, I heat it up and strain some of the seeds out .

If you are preparing this in the off-season, you can use frozen berries, just measure out both the solid berries and the juice. (The juice was inside the berries before freezing broke down some of the cell structure, so you need to use the juice to make the measurement close to that of fresh berries.)

This recipe adapted from Kraft Foods' recipes promoting their pectin products. For best texture use the pectin this recipe was developed for. However, any "low-sugar type" pectin will result in a jam that sets up.

6 cups prepared fruit (about 7 pints fresh raspberries)
3 squares unsweetened chocolate
4 cups sugar
1 box Sure Jel for Lower Sugar Recipes pectin
1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter

Crush berries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. If using frozen berries, use both liquid and solids; they all were part of the original fresh berry. (Sieve 1/2 of the pulp to remove some seeds if desired. You can seive it all if preparing for those with dental problems. Removing seeds causes waste, so be sure you have enough berries.) Measure 6 cups of crushed fruit into 6 or 8 quart heavy saucepan. Break the chololate squares into smaller pieces and add them to saucepan.

Measure sugar into separate bowl. Mix 1/4 cup sugar from measured amount with pectin in small bowl. Stir pectin-sugar mixture into fruit in saucepan. Add butter. Bring quickly to full rolling boil, add remaining sugar, and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam and ladle into pint or half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace and process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.

[hillbilly_mom]

Do you think this would work with a different berry like strawberries? We don't care for raspberries, but love strawberries. It would almost make like a banana split type sauce.

[Pigzzilla]

Hi hillbilly Mom, Yes I think strawberries would work just fine. Just stay within the amounts and it should be fine. I use this as an ice cream topping, YUM and strained as a glaze on cake before frosting. Its kinda weird on a PB&J tho.