How to make Dark Treacle

Source of the recipes are from http://steves-kitchen.com/dark-treacle/
Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 200g / 7 oz of Sugar
• 60ml / 1/4 cup of Water
• 500g of Sugar
• 250ml / 1 cup of Boiling Water
• 1/4 of a Lemon
• Instructions
  1. Place the 200g of sugar into a saucepan and add 1/4 cup of water. Turn on the heat and allow to sugars to dissolve. Continue to heat the sugar without stirring until the sugars turn a really dark brown / black colour.
     If you are using a Candy Thermometer the temperature should be in excess of 200C / 400F. You will see the sugars go from clear to light brown to dark brown to almost black. The aroma of the sugars will change also at each stage, the final  smell is a rich burnt caramel.
  2. Turn off the heat once you have the dark colour or reached over 200C and allow the sugars to cool just slightly. Just enough to let the bubbles stop bubbling.
     Add in the 500g of sugar and very carefully add in the cup of boiling water. Be aware that the sugars may fizz and bubble at this point. The dark sugars will tend to solidify at this stage but this is normal so don’t worry.
  3. Turn the heat back on and gently stir and heat the sugars until they are all dissolved and liquid again. Gently simmer the sugars for 35-40 minutes.
     Now you will need to test the treacle to see if you have the right consistency. Drop a small amount of the treacle onto the back of a pan lid and allow it to cool. Once it is cool if the consistency is right you should have a thick sticky treacle.
     If your treacle sets too hard you will have to add between 5-10% more water to your treacle and stir through. This works out at about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of boiling water (add 1/4 cup at a time and test your consistency).
     If your treacle is to thin just continue to simmer for a while longer.
  4. When you are happy with the consistency of your treacle pour it into a clean sterilised jar and allow to cool before popping on the lid.
     Happy cooking with your homemade dark treacle.