Artisan Confections: Fleur de Sel Caramels

That awesome swimmer I took to a national synchronized swimming meet last weekend? She bought me more chocolate.

Inside that box were four salted butter caramels from Artisan Confections, right next door to DC in Arlington, VA. Nice, isn’t it? But it left me without new chocolate to review.

As if. Check out these fleur de sel caramels, straight from Artisan’s kitchen.

The chocolates had a subtle earthy aroma with a hint of vanilla. And that salt made eyes at me.

It did. It really did. Salt has a thing for me like I have a thing for salt.

The couverture that held onto that salt was smooth with fruity and minty flavors, with an earthy finish. It had a relatively fast melt as well as a texture that matched that of the caramel perfectly. No. Flaking. At. All.

This made it even easier to savor the interior caramel, which was that perfect texture that is neither chewy nor runny. The flavor trended towards buttery instead of creamy, and also included a little salt and vanilla with just the right amount of added sugar. The salt atop the pieces stands about a bit in a few bites, but not displeasingly so. All blended together, the chocolate, sugar, salt, and butter result in a near-perfect blend of flavors, with a superior texture making this what might be my ideal salted caramel.

My ideal salted caramel just a few miles away? My life is great.

Are there any chocolate makers near you who make great caramels?