Yuzu Caramel Bonbons are bite-sized, silky, sweet, tart and delightfully aromatic citrus caramel wrapped in dark chocolate.
Valentine's Kick-Off
I am kicking off Valentine's early with these addictive little gems, Yuzu Caramel Bonbons! They are simple, just a few ingredients for a delightfully fragrant citrus caramel packaged in dark chocolate gems.
So, why the early kick-off to V-day? I have a ton of chocolate content from years past, that I hadn't gotten around to blogging, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to get ahead of the holiday.
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Digging Out The Sweet Stuff
I think ya'll already know how fond I am of yuzu - see here. It is a flavour unlike any other. I can't say enough about it. I know it is not readily available fresh and when it is, I've paid upwards of $12/fruit. OUCH!! Second best option is Boiron Yuzu puree and that will run you about $100/kilo. I usually buy the pure juice from a local Japanese shop and runs me about $30 for a small bottle. See link below for another option.
These citrus-filled gems are some of my earlier chocolate work from a few years back . They're not that great looking, but I was super proud at the time. It's always cool to look back and see how much I've improved - never in comparison to others, but to my earlier efforts.
Back then, it was less about design and more holding my breath in combined excitement and fear when unmolding. A clean release was always cause to celebrate. LOL. I am better now and can tell by sight and feel when my chocolate is ready to cast, but I am forever learning. It's what I love most about chocolate, the never-ending opportunities to learn.
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Dry vs Wet Caramel
Once I learned and practiced the two types of caramels - dry and wet - it was clear almost immediately that dry would be my preferred method. For best results when using the dry technique, I rub a little citrus into the sugar and add the sugar to the saucepan, a little at a time. I get great results this way with no burning, clumping or crystallization.
I was going to use this box to tell you about the time I almost lost an eye to piping hot, flying caramel (no exaggeration). Instead, here's a quick comparison of the two techniques:
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| Dry | Wet |
| no water | water |
| sugar melted | sugar dissolved |
| faster | longer time for water to evaporate |
| can burn easily and quickly | less likely to burn |
| low to no crystallization | prone to crystallization |
Whip Up Some Love
Doesn't that cascade of caramel get you all hot and bothered? Whip up some Yuzu Caramel Bonbons for your special someone(s) this Valentine and let me know how it goes. Tag @isugarcoatit on Instagram and I'll share your creations on my IG stories.
This recipe is a scaled down variation of a recipe we made back in the chocolatier certificate program - I believe we used oranges. If you can't get your hands on yuzu, use another citrus - lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange all work well and pair nicely with dark chocolate or white chocolate. But I encourage you to seek out some yuzu, it'll change your life!
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Ingredients
For the shells:
- colour cocoa butter
- dark chocolate
For the caramel:
- 70 grams 35% cream also good with coconut cream
- 200 grams brown sugar or white granulated
- 1-2 drops yuzu juice to cook the sugar
- 60 grams butter unsalted
- 45 grams yuzu juice
Instructions
Decorate and cast the mold:
- Prepare your mold by buffing it with alcohol and cotton pads. You can check out my post on how to prepare molds.
- Melt and temper the cocoa butter and squeeze random, small droplets straight from the container into the mold. If you are worried about getting too much cocoa butter in the mold, use a paper cornet to pipe dots, or a paint brush to drop/splash the colour on. Allow to set.
- Temper the dark chocolate (see chart here) and cast your mold. Allow to set.
Make the caramel:
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan and set aside.
- Rub a drop or two of yuzu juice into the sugar (this helps prevent crytallization and improves the texture of the caramel). Add a small amount of the rubbed sugar to a tall saucepan and allow to melt. Continue adding the sugar a bit at a time until it is all melted. shuffle or swirl the pot as needed, but do not stir.
- Once the sugar is caramelized and medium to deep amber in colour, use a whisk to stir in the butter and cream. Stir in the yuzu juice and set aside to cool. Pipe into chocolate shells and allow to set for a few hours, preferably overnight, before capping.
Rita Vascimini says
Hi there. Love your website but I live in the stars and sometimes I don’t know what the ingredients are - such as Yuzu juice and color cocoa! The measurements I can convert but can I even get the ingredients in the states? Thank you!
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Hi Rita, thanks for your note and for following my blog! I realize that some of the ingredients I use and like aren't always widely available, so I normally provide alternatives. In this case, any citrus of your choosing (orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit are all listed close to the end of my post) can be used in place of the yuzu. I live in Canada, so most of what I use should also be available in the U.S. However, I try to include links to products I use, or that are similar, if I can find them on Amazon. There is a conversion tool included in my recipes to assist those who do not work in metric. Hope that is helpful!
Sara says
Hi, I would like to veganize some bonbon recipes. Do you think coconut oil could be subbed for the butter?
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
I've only tried a so-called vegan caramel once using coconut butter and the end product wasn't as anticipated. But I always say, give it a try!!
Radhika says
Jacquee, why have you stopped blogging? Miss your posts.
Hope you are ok.