The Nibble: Chocolate Caramel

Recchiuti Confections Salt Caramels. Michael Recchiuti’s fleur de sel caramels are masterworks. Covered in dark chocolate, there’s nothing on the outside to indicate salt, just an abstract wave design that seems to say tranquility. Don’t be fooled: The excitement—fleur de sel mixed with Recchiuti’s superb buttery and smokey caramel—are on the inside. After the first bite, you may not even realize you’re eating a salt caramel. Then, the flavors slowly build to a gentle crescendo. You feel the tiny grains of salt against your tongue, blending with the smooth, soft caramel. Then—poof–they’re gone. It’s a magic act you want to experience again.

16-Piece Box
$23.00

Richart’s salt butter caramels are tiny enough to notch and set on the rim of an espresso cup...but are not salty.

Richart Salt Caramels. Generally, caramels are made with sweet butter; a salt butter caramel should taste of salt. We purchased petite 1/2" dark chocolate caramel cubes from Michel Richart, Coulis de Caramel au Beurre Salé. Since coulis means purée, we were hoping for something like the Pierre Marcolini caramel confit (see Spreadable, below). No, just a very soft caramel center with no discernable taste of salt. Undaunted, we knew there was more to come. But these wee caramels do fit on the rim of an espresso cup, and should be of interest to those who seek to offer a little something that pairs well with java.

9-Piece Bag
$6.50

Available in stores only, not online. Click here for boutiques in Boston, San Francisco and San Juan.

Woodhouse Chocolates Salt Caramels are sprinkled with fleur de sel, a sea salt harvested off the coast of Brittany.

Woodhouse Chocolates Salt Caramels. Tracy Anderson’s caramels are salty critters— critters because you can have them in a classic square salt caramel or as a tortoise-shaped salt turtle with nuts (below). The salt caramels are the chewier of the two: you can’t eat too many because it takes so much time to eat just one (and that’s quite a benefit—after taking so long to chew all that goodness, one was actually very satisfying). Neither milk nor dark chocolate is “sweet”: the caramel hinted of honey. These salt caramels will appeal to those who like a more elegant, sophisticated style of candy; and those who generally don’t choose milk chocolate will enjoy the milk chocolate caramel.

6-Piece Box
$8.00