CHOCOLATE CARAMELS WITH SEA SALT

Chocolate Caramels With Sea Salt image

We've listened to your comments on this recipe, and tested it - then retested it. It's adapted from "Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook," by Rick and Michael Mast, the Brooklyn chocolatiers, and this most recent, updated version reduces the amount of butter and changes the temperature to which you'll want to heat the caramel mixture. (The video at right does not reflect those changes.) Make sure you have a candy thermometer, or an instant-read model, and watch out - caramel is extremely hot. It's worth the little bit of danger. The end result is lovely: sweet and salty with just enough of that caramel chewiness.

Provided by Julia Moskin

Categories dessert

Time 55m

Yield About 100 small caramels

Number Of Ingredients 5

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Ingredients

1/4 pound/114 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups/300 milliliters heavy cream
2 cups/400 grams granulated sugar
5 ounces/143 grams bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao solids), broken into pieces
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Steps:

Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an extra inch or two hanging over the sides.
In a small saucepan, heat butter and cream until melted and hot, but do not allow mixture to boil.
Make the caramel: Pour sugar into a large saucepan fitted with a candy or instant-read thermometer. Heat sugar over medium heat until areas begin to melt and turn brown. Using a wooden or silicone spoon, stir melted areas to redistribute the heat. Continue to melt sugar, stirring gently to break up clumps until it is dark brown, bubbling and clear, about 330 degrees. This will take about 15 minutes.
Immediately pour cream-butter mixture through a strainer into caramelized sugar, but be careful: It will bubble wildly. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat to 255 degrees. This will take about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to very low, add chocolate, and stir until melted and smooth.
Pour mixture into lined pan and let cool 20 minutes. Sprinkle salt on top. Let cool at room temperature until firm, about 3 hours or overnight. (If weather is hot and humid, chill in refrigerator.)
When caramels are cool and firm, use the parchment paper or aluminum foil to lift caramel slab out of pan. Using a large sharp knife and a ruler, cut into small squares, about 3/4 inch. Refrigerated caramel will need to soften slightly at room temperature before cutting.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 41, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 2 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 0 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 20 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams, TransFat 0 grams