Homemade Milk Duds

Ingredients

• For the caramel:
• 4 ounces water
• 8 1/2 ounces sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
• 6 ounces heavy cream
• For the chocolate coating:
• 8 ounces finely chopped dark or milk chocolate, such as Callebaut or Valrhona; do not use chips

Directions

1. Tuck a large piece of parchment paper into an 8-inch cake pan so it covers the base and comes up the sides. Set a 2-quart stainless steel saucier over medium heat and add the water, sugar, and salt. Use a fork to stir until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup reaches a strong boil, about 4 minutes. Let it simmer without stirring until the color turns honey-gold, roughly 7 minutes. Add the cream right away and lower the heat to medium-low; turn it down more if the caramel starts foaming too high. This is especially common on an electric stove because the burner stays hot. Keep stirring with a heat-resistant spatula while the caramel simmers, until a digital thermometer reads 260 degrees F (127 degrees C), about 7 minutes. Pour it immediately into the lined pan, cover the pan snugly with foil, and let it cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
2. Pull the caramel away from the parchment and move it to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut it into 50 pieces (approximately 1/4 ounce or 7g each); they do not need to be perfectly even. If you like, use your fingers to shape the pieces into more oval little candies.
3. Cover a baking sheet with parchment. Temper the chocolate according to your chosen method. Add all the caramel pieces to the tempered chocolate and fold them in to coat. With a clean hand, scoop up some coated pieces as though you were gathering marbles, then use your thumb to slide each one over your index finger and into your other hand before setting it on the prepared baking sheet. Leave the candies at room temperature until the chocolate is completely set, about 15 minutes, then move them to an airtight container.