Salt is becoming more popular by the day to accompany chocolate, sugar, and cream in delicious desserts. This is because salt gives a huge burst of flavor like no other, be it in a sweet or savory dish. In this particular dessert, salt is a delightful counterpoint to rich and sweet caramel which helps it all tie into a mouthwatering symphony of flavors and textures, not to mention the chocolate.

Just before you go ahead and attempt this recipe, just be aware, for those who haven’t made caramels before, the sugar base becomes very hot and will boil vigorously when you add the cream to the mix, so be sure to use a deep pan to prevent spills and burns.

Recipe

What You Need

1 cup whipping cream
5 tbsps. salted butter
1 Tsp. fleur de sel
1 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsps. granulated sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water
1 Tsp. fresh lemon juice
Tempered dark or milk chocolate for enrobing

What To Do

Firstly, line a square pan with plastic wrap.

Mix together the butter, whipping cream and fleur de sel in a pan and bring them all to a boil. Once brought to a boil remove the pan from the heat and set the mixture aside.

In another pan, mix together the corn syrup, water, and sugar. Cook the mixture on high heat, do not stir and heat until the temperature is 360F or until it turns a dark caramel color. It usually takes around 5-10 minutes for this change to occur depending on what kind of stove and pan you are using.

Once done, remove the pan from the heat and stir the cream mixture in with a long handled spoon. Be sure to approach this with caution and this part is where the mixture can splatter on you. Now put the pan back on high heat and cook it, being sure to stir it constantly until the temperature reaches 250F. Now remove from heat and add lemon juice while stirring it in well.

Pour the mixture into a new pan and let it sit overnight.

Once it is set, take the caramel from the pan and peel off the plastic wrap. Cut the caramel into the desired shapes you want and place the caramels on a tray lined with parchment paper.

Holding the caramels with a fork, dip the caramels into tempered chocolate and place them onto another tray lined with a silicone mat.

When the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle a few grains of fleur de sel and let the caramels set for about 4 hours and then store them in an airtight container, in a cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks.