Playing with caramel is asking for a mess. A gooey, sticky, delicious mess.

Inspired by Herbivore Dinosaur’s recipe, last night I tried my hand at making homemade chocolates. It was probably an ill-advised mess to get into at 9pm, but I just couldn’t help myself. In the end, I was rewarded with 3 different caramel goodies: chocolate covered caramels, chocolate caramel cups, and chocolate-covered caramel, cashew, and marshmallow candies (and I only managed to get a little caramel in my hair).

The whole sticky process:

Sugar and margarine

Setting up to set up

Cashews: the first flash of brilliance

Caramel and cashews

Ricemellow layer (I used ice cube trays to keep their shape.)

Chocolate topping

Chocolate on the bottom

“Eeeek! I’m melting…melting!” (Chocolate covered caramels)

Mini muffin tins make for less mess

Chocolate caramel cups

Chocolate-covered caramel, cashew, and marshmallow candies

The verdict: The caramels are tasty, but the plain, semi-sweet chocolate could use a little more zip. Next time, I think I’ll add a drop or two of vanilla extract to both the chocolate and the caramel.