Take A Bite Of: Sea Salt Caramels (also known as "yum, yum, give me some."

I know you want some goodness and I am here to help. I have made these several times and they are in-cred-i-ble. Scared of caramel? Dont be. All it takes is a large pot, a few ingredients, thermometer and attentiveness. Once finished, you can share with your friends and family so that you do not consume them all yourself. I took a box to one of our customers yesterday and they were a huge hit.  Once I cut them as seen in the pic, I wrap them in wax paper. They look a bit like salt water taffy when wrapped except they are not green and they do taste about 1.3 million times better.

I make them in the exact format learned from Ina Garten. From my kitchen to yours, enjoy every bite.

Sea Salt Caramels: 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fine fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing it to drape over 2 sides, then brush the paper lightly with oil or spray with nonstick spray.

Boil the sugar.

In a deep saucepan (6 inches wide and 4 1/2 inches deep), combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the mixture is a warm golden brown. Don't stir -- just swirl the pan.

Heat the cream.

In the meantime, in a small pot, bring the cream, butter and 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Finish the caramel.

When the sugar mixture is done, turn off the heat and slowly add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture. Be careful -- it will bubble up violently. Be careful also means WATCH IT. I left one pot unattended for a mere minute and bubbled over boiling caramel is a real headache to clean up. Then stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 248 degrees F (firm ball) on a candy thermometer.

Fill your prepared pan slowly and carefully. It is HOT. I also then sprinkle the top with sea salt before refrigerating. Pop in fridge for a few hours, until firm.  When the caramel is cold, pry the sheet from the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the square in half. And then you can opt for small rectangle or square size pieces.  It's easier to cut the caramels if you brush the knife with flavorless oil like corn oil. Wrap the candies.