Caramels with Rosemary Lavender Sea Salt

This homemade caramels recipe is literally made right in your microwave! The key to this recipe is having a microwavable mixing bowl or 8 cup measuring bowl that is high on the edges so that the caramel mixture doesn't bubble over the sides. From someone who has never made caramel before this, the microwave makes these very easy!

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter, cubed
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2/3 c. sweetened condensed milk, low fat
1/2 tsp. vanilla
*Rosemary Lavender Sea Salt (you could use normal sea salt and a small amount of rosemary)

Grease an 8x8 baking pan with butter on the bottom and up the edges. Line the pan with parchment paper and smooth down. Set aside.

Add the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to the microwave safe dish. Microwave on 100% power for 2 minutes.

Stir the mixture and microwave for another two minutes. Stir again. Add the sweetened condensed milk. Microwave for 3 more minutes.

Watch carefully as the mixture microwaves so that it doesn't bubble over. If it looks like it might, open the microwave door until the bubbles go back down. Add the vanilla and stir until well combined. 

Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and smooth out. Sprinkle with the sea salt mixture. Let cool fully.

Lift the caramel out of the pan using the parchment paper and set on a flat surface. 

Using a pizza cutter (yes, I said pizza cutter!), cut the caramel into strips, and then turn the other way to cut into rectangles or squares. From here, cut wax paper into strips and then squares big enough to wrap a caramel in. I wrapped mine three different ways. Some I folded in half and wrapped them like a tootsie roll by twisting the ends of the wax paper. I also placed a full caramel square and twisted the ends. To make some look fancier than normal, I folded the wax paper around the caramel and used string to tie around it.

Strawberry Rosemary Angel Food Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Angel Food Cake Mix
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c. strawberries, chopped
1 tsp. fresh rosemary
1 Tbs. agave nectar
1/4 c. water

Mix the angel food cake mix with 1 1/4 c. water with a whisk and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, rosemary agave nectar and water. Set to medium heat. Continue to stir every once in a while to combine everything. While the sauce is cooking, fill 2 cupcake tins lined with liners 3/4 of the way full with the angel food batter. When the sauce has been cooking for five minutes, remove from heat and place in a blender. Blend until it is a smooth consistency. Pour into a bowl. Using a spoon, drop a spoonful of the sauce into the middle on the top of the angel food mix, pushing the spoon down in the center so that the sauce falls through the middle. Repeat for the remaining sauce and cupcakes. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-17 minutes until the the tops of the cupcakes are bouncy to the touch. Let cool slightly before removing from the cupcake tins, and let fully cool on wire racks. Top with frosting, or serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream! (Makes 24 cupcakes, 2 WW points per cupcake.)