Queen Anne Salted Peanut Caramel Nougat Rolls Recipe

How to make it

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• I know this looks LONG, but it's only because I am being anal about explaining how to best coat the logs and store them!
• In a large heavy saucepan, mix together sugar, syrup and hot water. Cook mixture over medium to medium-high heat, until it reaches 275 degrees on a candy thermometer (“hard thread” stage).
• While the syrup is cooking, whip egg whites in a large mixing bowl, just until foamy peaks (not stiff peaks!) begin to form.
• With the mixer set on Medium High, gradually beat the hot syrup into the egg whites – you want to keep drizzling the hot syrup over the whites as you keep turning the bowl and beating.
• Once all the syrup is added, add the extract and continue to beat until mixture is firm enough to shape into “logs”. Mixture will be quite hot, so BE CAREFEUL not to burn your hands! NOTE – be sure hands are clean and no fragrances or lotions are on them! Grab a handful and roll it into a 5” long log, with a diameter about the size of a quarter (do this on a piece of waxed paper). Set logs on a piece of waxed paper to cool completely.
• Melt the caramels with the milk – let it cool off considerably before proceeding to the “frosting” step.
• Place the nuts in a shallow dish or rimmed plate.
• Here comes the messy part! While keeping the logs on waxed paper, use a knife or spoon to frost each log with caramel, and then dip it in nuts. I have found the easiest way to do this is to frost one side of a log, dip in nuts, and then lay the nut coated side in your palm, frost the other side and dip it. Do the two ends lastly. You’ll get the hang of it after the first couple logs!
• Work with the coated log for a bit, rolling it gently in your hands to be sure the nuts are firmly imbedded in the caramel coating. As the logs cool – if the caramel was too warm to “set” as you frosted the logs and it wants to “run off “the logs – you will need to pick up the log and firmly “press” the nuts and caramels into it until the caramel sets up enough to stay put.
• When logs are coated and completely cooled, wrap each one individually in saran wrap and keep tightly covered until ready to serve (no need to refrigerate unless you are storing them in a warm climate or warm room).
• To serve, slice logs into bite-size rounds and put on platter. They’re very pretty when cut - you see the nut layer, then the caramel layer, and then the white fondant center (fondant is like divinity).
• Wrap logs in foil to freeze if you will not be using them within a few days.