If you follow the food blogging world at all you've probably seen this recipe (or variations) pop up pretty often in the past two or three months. It certainly intrigued me enough to try it when I first spotted it on Tastespotting. (ha ha ha, yes, I did.)

I think Shawn and I both feel pretty much the same about caramels... the store-bought ones are ok but not really worth spending money on, otherwise caramel is best as a sauce, and only lightly applied at that. But then I made these caramels and our opinions quickly changed as we gobbled them up, one right after the other, piece by piece, square after square, (ok, I think you get the point). And then we did it all over again when I made a 9" x 13" batch of them two weeks later! (Hey! I gave at least half of them away!) Seriously though, these are deliciously salty in such a sweet way, and the best part is - they don't even stick to your teeth!

Fleur de Sel Caramels

*You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe!*

1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla x
1 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water

- Line an 8" square pan w/ parchment and butter liberally.
- Bring the cream, butter, vanilla extract, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan then remove from heat and set aside.
- Bring the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a boil in a medium sized pot and let it keep boiling until the bubbles turn a light caramel color.
- Stir the cream mixture into the caramel and let it all simmer until the mixture reaches 248 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring often.
- Pour the caramel into your prepared pan and let it cool down on the counter for about 20 minutes, then sprinkle some fleur de sel on top and let the caramel cool completely.
- Once cool, cut into 1" pieces and wrap each piece in wax paper squares (4"x4").
- Enjoy!