She Strengthens

Sweet and Salty Delights: Chocolate-Covered Caramels

Are you looking for a thoughtful and delicious gift for the holiday season? Look no further! These chocolate-covered caramels are the perfect treat to impress your friends and family.

The Secret to Perfect Caramels

To make these sweet and salty delights, you’ll need a few special tools: a kitchen scale and a chocolate thermometer. Don’t worry if you’re new to working with chocolate – with a little practice, you’ll be a pro in no time!

Choosing the Right Chocolate

When it comes to coating your caramels in chocolate, you’ll want to use a high-quality chocolate that sets nicely. Look for a chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, like El Rey 58.5 percent dark chocolate Discos. You can find these at many specialty grocery stores or online.

Game Plan: Make-Ahead Magic

The best part about these chocolate-covered caramels? You can make them ahead of time! Simply store the caramels in an airtight container until you’re ready to coat them in chocolate. Just be sure to temper your chocolate on a day that’s not too hot, and work quickly to ensure the chocolate sets properly.

Yield and Difficulty

This recipe yields about 85 caramels and takes around 2 hours to complete, plus cooling time. The difficulty level is medium, so don’t be afraid to give it a try even if you’re new to working with chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into pieces and at room temperature, plus more for coating the pan
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Pan

Coat an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter and line it with parchment paper. Make sure the paper is creased at the corners and pressed flat into the dish.

Step 2: Make the Caramel

Place the cream in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup, and brown sugar, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and keep the mixture at a gently rolling boil until it reaches 255°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Step 3: Cool and Set the Caramel

Remove the pan from heat and add the butter, vanilla, and 2 1/2 teaspoons of the fleur de sel. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is combined. Pour into the prepared dish and let cool until the surface of the caramel is set and the dish is only slightly warm.

Step 4: Temper the Chocolate

Bring a medium saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of water to a simmer over high heat. Place 18 ounces of the chocolate in a dry, heatproof bowl and set it over the saucepan. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted and has reached 118°F. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the remaining 6 ounces chocolate. Stir until all of the chocolate has melted and the temperature has cooled to 80°F.

Step 5: Coat the Caramels

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the caramels from the refrigerator and drop one into the chocolate. Use a dinner fork to coat the caramel, then lift it out of the chocolate and tap the fork several times on the edge of the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Place the coated caramel on the empty baking sheet and repeat with the remaining caramels.

Step 6: Store and Enjoy!

Let the chocolate set, then store the chocolate-covered caramels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. These sweet and salty treats are sure to be a hit with anyone who tries them!