Today I am partnering with Morton Salt to share a recipe for Dark Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Caramels. These caramels are surprisingly easy to make from scratch, and I love the idea of giving small boxes of caramels as a hostess gift or teachers gift.
Morton is a local Chicago-based company. Their salt is in my parents’ kitchen, and it’s been in mine ever since I got my own place. Their Fine Sea Salt is available at my local Jewel-Osco, and it’s perfect for cooking and baking. Plus, the packaging is so smart. Half of the top opens up for pouring while the other half is for sprinkling. It’s easy to get just the amount of salt you need.
When Morton asked me to come up with a holiday recipe using their Fine Sea Salt, I knew that I wanted to make Dark Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Caramels.
Between December 6-31 you can save $0.35 on Morton Fine Sea Salt at Jewel-Osco. Click below to save on your next trip!
Salty caramel is one of my favorite things on earth. I love sweet and salty flavor combinations and adding a sprinkle of salt on top of these caramels gives this sweet treat a perfect balance of sweet and salty tastes.
This recipe is based on the caramel recipe that I have been making for years. Usually I add a splash of whisky to it, but we didn’t have a bottle open so I left it out this time. Even if you aren’t a whisky drinker, a splash of whisky adds a depth of flavor to caramel, and the alcohol cooks out.
The sea salt caramel is soft, chewy, and melts in your mouth. The dark chocolate balances the sweetness of the caramel. I am usually a milk chocolate fan, but these caramels are best with dark chocolate.
The step that you absolutely cannot skip is freezing the caramel before you slice it and dip it in the chocolate. If the caramel isn’t cold, it will just melt in the chocolate. Freezing it makes it possible to dip the caramel in chocolate without melting. If the caramel warms up to much while you are dipping it in chocolate, just return it to the freezer for 10 minutes.
I highly recommend using melting chocolate for this recipe. It melts perfectly evenly and hardens well once cooled. I like to melt it in a double boiler over low heat which keeps it at a consistent temperature.
You can find Morton Fine Sea Salt in the spice aisle at Jewel-Osco and other Albertson’s stores.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Covered Sea Salt Caramels:
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
An easy recipe for from-scratch sea salt caramels coated in dark chocolate. Homemade caramel gets quickly frozen and then dipped in melted dark chocolate and topped with fine sea salt. It's a great homemade holiday gift!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon Morton Fine Sea Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla
- about 2 cups Dark Chocolate Melts
Instructions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then add the sugar and whisk until melted.
Add the cream and 1/4 teaspoon salt and let the sauce simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes, until it has thickened. Stir every few minutes. You want the caramel to be thick enough to for a thick layer to stick on the back of a spoon. If you want to break out a candy thermometer you want the caramel to reach 250 degrees.
Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Pour the caramel into an 8x8 inch pan or a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Then place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Use a sharp knife to slice the caramel into about 1 inch square. Then return to the freezer.
Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler. You want the water to be steaming, but not boiling. Usually keeping the burner at the lowest setting is just right.
Lay out some parchment paper to place the caramels on once you dip them in chocolate. I used a drying rack over parchment, but it is easier to just use parchment.
Take the caramels out of the freezer and pull them apart. One by one, use a fork to lower the caramels in the chocolate coating them completely. Tap the fork on the edge of the bowl so that any excess chocolate comes off, then place the caramels on the parchment to dry. Immediatly sprinkle with sea salt.
Continue this process with all of the caramels. There is a chance that the caramels might heat up too much while they sit out and start melting too much when you place them in the chocolate. If this happens, just return them to the freezer for 10 minutes and then continue dipping them.
This post was sponsored by Morton; the opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Kittchen possible.