Cooked caramel compositions and related food products

Abstract

Cooked and uncooked caramel slurries and products prepared using the cooked caramel slurries, and methods of preparing caramel slurries and coating a cooked caramel slurry onto a food piece. A process of providing a cooked caramel slurry comprises providing a slurry comprising sucrose, non-sucrose sugar, fat, water and protein, and having an initial total moisture content of at least 6 weight percent moisture and cooking the slurry in a closed cooking system that does not allow moisture to leave the slurry during cooking. A cooked caramel slurry comprises from 30 to 80 weight percent sucrose, from 5 to 25 weight percent non-sucrose sugar, from 5 to 25 weight percent fat, and from 0.1 to 5 weight percent protein, each on a total solids (dry) basis, and at least 5 weight percent water, wherein the slurry is undiluted, the water being also present during cooking of the slurry.

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