a life with caramel.

A life with caramel is...well, just SO much better. This is especially true if it's fall, and you're breaking out the tall leather boots, soft scarves, cable knit sweaters, and watching the leaves turn from green to yellow and orange and bright burgundy reds. This autumn time of year has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. Apples are crisp for picking, football is on in the background, hot cider is bubbling away, and woodland animals are scrounging up food for their winter nests. The kids have loved watching all of the bunnies and squirrels run around in the backyard.

Caramel is the sweet buttery topping to what is already one great moment in the seasons. And, this year is the first time I've actually made my own! Much to my surprise, it was super simple, much less sticky than anticipated, and hopefully a new-found Finch family autumn baking tradition.

A friend sent me this recipe for THE most delicious Fleu de Sel caramels. They are lightly salted, and a true melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. These are definitely on the softer-side of caramels that I've eaten, so a tip (if you plan on whipping these up) is to make sure to follow the recipe instructions very closely. I actually doubled the recipe and used a high-lipped baking sheet for molding instead of a smaller 8x8 pan. I would advise using a thicker coat of butter to line the wax sheet as well. This will make removing the caramel squares much easier!

I also attempted these two times, since the first batch was a little too soft for cutting. TIP: make sure you stir the mixed caramel until it reaches their advised 248 degree mark. I'm new to the whole candy-making area of baking, so this was a lesson for me. I also set them in the fridge for a few minutes to help them harden. Once cooled, I used a greased pizza roller to cut up 1" squares and individually wrapped each in wax paper. (This was the most time-consuming part.) I'm thinking these might also make great boxed up Christmas gifts for friends + neighbors.

Here are some step-by-step pics of my own caramel making adventures. Happy caramel-ing!