Homemade salted caramel encased in a rich shell of dark chocolate, then finished off with a sprinkle of salt to bring out that extra sweetness! Gluten-free!
While practicing gratitude everyday has always been an important part of my life, it wasn’t until recently that I made it a point to think of five specific things I’m grateful for each and every morning (more like afternoon) when I wake up. That also means BEFORE reaching for the iPhone to scan through the all-important Facebook newsfeed or responding to those “crucial” emails and texts. I got the idea from an actress’s autobiography, and I thought it was brilliant. The point is that it sets the tone for your day because you’re putting yourself into that place of happiness and joy when taking notice of the amazing things you already have. It’s a simple thing to do, and it only takes a few seconds really.
Speaking of gratitude…who ISN’T grateful for caramel?? (Smooth transition, eh?) And not just caramel, but SALTED caramel. I know salted caramel has been a thing for quite some time, but it still seems like a fairly new phenomenon. Like, I feel as though it wasn’t “invented” until the 2000’s. Am I right about that? I still remember chocolate-covered potato chips being a little too exotic for my tastes around the early 2000’s, and now it’s as normal as chocolate-covered peanuts.
I’m so glad someone decided to add a little extra salt to that caramel because it is AMAZING. Salted caramel is basically caramel with superpowers, in my opinion. The salt adds so much more intensity to the caramel, ironically making it sweeter in flavor.
I could go on and on about my fascination and obsession with salted caramel, but I don’t want this to turn into a memoir. So let’s just get to the good stuff…
From the outside, they look rather unassuming and ordinary.
It’s not until you take that first bite that you realize the true potential of these sinful little chocolates.
This might be a little TMI/gross, but this oozing cup of chocolate does bare an awful lot of resemblance to how excessively my mouth was drooling while trying to photograph these babes of caramel goodness.
Food blogger struggles…you’d think I would have formed some kind of immunity to that by now. Oh well…
Homemade caramel might sound intimidating, but trust me, it’s not. The main thing you have to remember is to NOT dip your finger into boiling caramel for a taste–that’s a BIG no-no. A friend of mine did this, AKA me, and it was not my most favorite (nor smartest) moment in my life. Who knew sugar could also function as a weapon?
To make the caramel, I resorted back to my tried-and-true salted caramel sauce that I’ve used in previous recipes. This includes my Salted Caramel Croissant Bread Pudding as well as my Salted Caramel Sweet Potato Casserole.
Once the sauce has cooled completely, you make up the little chocolate cups by melting some semi-sweet/dark chocolate and coating the liners in a mini muffin pan. Now, I know there’s all sorts of molds for candy-making nowadays, but I prefer to utilize what I already have. Besides that, the little cups give it that more classic look (I’m just too cheap to buys molds, let’s be honest).
My secret to easily coating the liners is to first spoon about 2 teaspoons of chocolate into the liner. Then, using the thicker end of a chopstick, swirl the chocolate around in a circular motion several times allowing the chocolate to reach the top of the liner as well as to get into every crevice. If you don’t have a chopstick, the handle of a wooden spoon would also work.
Once the cups have been made and set, it’s time to fill! Pour that cooled caramel right into the wells of each cup, then freeze until they’ve firmed up slightly–just enough that the melted chocolate won’t sink into the caramel as you’re covering it. Add a sprinkle of coarse salt (I used kosher salt), and voila! You’ve got yourself some easy homemade chocolate caramels!
And bonus for any gluten-free peeps out there, these are perfectly safe to eat! So chow on!!
Salted Caramel Cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- Coarse salt (I used kosher)
Instructions
- Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Pour the sugar into the center of the pan, making sure none of the sugar crystals hit the sides. Add the corn syrup.
- Place pan over medium heat, leaving it alone for the first 5 minutes or until it the color begins to turn yellowish. Once you see some color, gently swirl the pan around occasionally as it boils. Continue boiling until the caramel reaches a golden amber color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Caramel will sizzle and bubble up. Stir in the salt, and continue whisking until caramel is smooth. If needed, return pan over medium-low heat, stirring until caramel is smooth. Transfer to dish or glass measuring cup to cool completely. Caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Line a mini muffin tin with liners. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove, stir, then return to the microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove and stir until smooth. If still lumpy, heat in the microwave at 15-second increments until smooth.
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the chocolate into the liner, using the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick to swirl and coat the bottom and up the sides of the entire liner. Repeat with the rest of the liners. Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes, or until chocolate is set.
- Pour completely cooled caramel into each chocolate shell, leaving about a centimeter from the top of the shell. Chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes until caramel is set.
- Reheat chocolate, if needed. Remove chocolate caramels from the freezer. Spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate on top of the caramel, smooth out with an offset spatula or knife, then top with a sprinkle of coarse salt. Repeat with the rest of the cups. Return to the freezer for another 10 minutes before serving.
1 comment
I’m sorry I had to laugh at you dipping your fingers in caramel. Totally guilty as well! Salted caramel truly is caramel with superpowers, and this looks like a hero to me!