Misadventures in Making
I was trying to make chocolate crackles and I made toffee instead. Chocolate crackles are a staple at kid's birthday parties here in Australia but I have never made them. I don't think I've eaten them since I was a kid but I got this sudden craving. You know what it's like. And no, I'm not pregnant!
The chocolate crackle recipe called for icing sugar and lots of it. I'm more of a raw sugar kinda gal. So I substituted rapadura sugar for the icing sugar. But I was a bit worried about it being all grainy so I thought that I would melt it in a saucepan along with the coconut oil I was using.
I often wonder how things get invented. Like, who on earth came up with custard? Tasty yes, but how did they figure out how to make it? Now I know. They made a mistake and discovered something new. Just like me adding sugar to coconut oil and heating it. As I stirred the coconut oil over a low heat, the sugar started to coalesce. It got all smooth and shiny. What it didn't do was melt. As I stirred, I thought, "Hang on a second! That looks like toffee just like Mother makes in the Milly-Molly-Mandy books by Joyce Lankester Brisley."
At that stage it was perfect. But in my excitement I turned up the heat and kept on stirring. The sugar starred to go brown and lumpy. I panicked and madly started spooning it out onto a tray lined with baking paper. It was a little burnt but still yummy.
So, no chocolate crackles this time - slightly burnt toffee instead.
When I get the chocolate crackle recipe right, I'll share it with you here!