Chocolate-Dipped Caramelised Crumpet Clusters with Vanilla & Sea Salt
Ingredients
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Ingredients ✴
Caramelised Crumpet Clusters:
¾ cup caster sugar
¼ cup (60ml) cream
¼ cup (60ml) whole cow’s milk
2 Tbsp soft brown sugar, firmly packed
40g salted butter, diced
1 tsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1x 6-pack Golden Crumpets rounds
Chocolate Coating:
300g good-quality milk chocolate, melted
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
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Directions ✴
Preheat your oven to 150°C regular bake. Line a medium oven tray with baking paper.
Caramelised Crumpet Clusters: Add the caster sugar, cream, milk, brown sugar, butter and salt to a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir through the vanilla. Set aside in the fridge to cool for about 10 minutes, until warm but not hot.
Meanwhile, tear the crumpets into chunks about 2cm in size and add to a large mixing bowl. Pour the cooled syrup over the crumpets and toss gently to coat. Let the crumpets soak for about 15 minutes, gently tossing every few minutes so they soak evenly. Once soaked, drain through a colander to remove any excess syrup.
Arrange the crumpet clusters on the lined oven tray. Lay another sheet of baking paper directly on top of the crumpets, then place a wire rack or light-weight oven tray directly on top (this allows the crumpets clusters to cook evenly, so they don’t burn on top).
Bake on the middle oven rack for about 90-120 minutes, or until the crumpet clusters are very golden brown and caramelised all the way through. Set aside to cool on the tray - they will be soft when they first come out of the oven, but they crisp up as they cool.
Chocolate Coating: Line a chopping board with baking paper. Pour the melted chocolate into a small, deep bowl. One at a time, dip a piece of the caramelised crumpet into the chocolate. Turn it to coat, then remove it from the melted chocolate using a fork, tapping it on the side of the bowl to allow the excess to drip off. Transfer to the board lined with baking paper.
Sprinkle over a pinch of flaky sea salt, if using. Place into the fridge for 1 hour, or until the chocolate has completely set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.