To make this candy, you will need a candy thermometer. I use the kind with a glass tube and a sliding metal clamp that attaches to the side of a saucepan. And even though the recipe calls for a 3-quart saucepan, I always use my 4-quart saucepan. That way I don’t have to worry about the candy boiling up over the sides.

½ cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1 cup brown sugar (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup dark Karo syrup

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

2 ounces unsweeted baking chocolate (I used Baker’s)

½ cup butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ¼ pound)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Before you start, spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Sprinkle the chopped nuts evenly across the bottom of the cake pan.

Place the cake pan on a folded kitchen towel on the kitchen counter.

Get out a 3-quart saucepan (or a 4-quart saucepan) and your candy thermometer. Place the thermometer inside the saucepan with the sliding clamp on the outside. Slide the thermometer through the clamp until it’s approximately ½ inch from the bottom of the saucepan. (If the bulb touches the bottom of the saucepan, your reading will be wildly off.)

On a cold burner, combine the brown sugar, salt, dark Karo syrup, sweetened condensed milk, unsweetened chocolate, and butter.

Turn the burner on MEDIUM HIGH heat. STIR the candy mixture CONSTANTLY until it boils. (This will take about 10 minutes, so pull up a stool and get comfortable while you stir.)

Continue stirring until your candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees F. Continue to stir for one more minute and move the saucepan to a cold burner.

Add the vanilla extract to the candy mixture and stir it in. (This could sputter a bit, so be careful.)

Let the candy mixture sit on the cold burner for 5 minutes.

When 5 minutes have passed, pour the candy mixture evenly over the nuts in the cake pan. (Use a heat-resistant spatula so that you can get every delicious drop.)

Leave the cake pan on the counter for 20 additional minutes to cool. Then cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. (Overnight is fine too.)

When you’re ready to serve your Chocolate Caramels, cut the caramels into squares with a buttered knife. Make sure you cut all the way to the bottom of the cake pan.

Pry out the caramels, one by one, and wrap each one in wax paper.

Yield: 3 dozen or so bonbon-size pieces of delicious candy, depending on the size of the pieces you cut. Store in a covered container.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

“The kitchen smells wonderful!” Michelle said as Hannah pulled the last pan of Chocolate-Covered Mint Cookies from the oven.

“I know. I love to make these cookies. It always reminds me of Christmas. There’s something about mint and candy canes that just goes with the whole season.”