Soft, chewy, handmade caramels are an old-fashioned treat made with simple ingredients. Traditional recipes have you combine a mixture of cream, butter and sugars over medium-high heat and voila — caramel!

 

On paper, it seems simple but a great caramel is more than the sum of its ingredients. Many of my personal attempts at caramel making have ended in disaster. The mixture has either burned or crystallized, resulting in a grainy mess. Caramel making is harder than it looks, I’m happy to leave it to the professionals.

 

Imagine my delight when my friends at Saul Good Gift Co. offered to send me a box full of handmade artisan caramels. All of the caramels, none of the kitchen disaster — yes please!

 

One thing I love about Saul Good’s gift boxes is the exterior packaging.The box is decorated with an artful rendering of Canada and a personalized gift tag. It’s slightly mysterious. At first glance, you wouldn’t be able to guess what is inside. This little bit of suspense adds to the fun of opening the gift.

 

 



 

 

Inside the box, I found a friendly little postcard and a Fresh Sheet. The Fresh Sheet lists the flavours of the caramels and details about the artisan makers on one side. On the other side, it lists details about the Saul Good Gift Co. I peeled back the wrapping paper to discover a sparkling selection of assorted caramels. It was hard to know where to start. I consulted the Fresh Sheet for the descriptions before digging in.

 

 



 

 

I decided to start with a classic Salted Caramel made by Kitchening & Co. from Langley, BC. The folks at Kitchening & Co. are famous for their French macarons and classic chewy cookies . Their caramels do not disappoint. They are generously sized so you can split one in half to share or save it for later. The texture is firm and they have a deep caramelized sugar flavour with a subtle hint of salt. These are a perfectly nostalgic treat.

 

 



 

The other two caramel flavours in the box come from Roselle Desserts. Roselle Desserts is a Toronto-based treat shop. I spent more time than I care to admit scrolling through their Instagram. Everything they make looks so tempting. First, I tried their Passionfruit Mango caramel. I am a huge fan of mango so I was happy with the rich, tropical, slightly floral flavor. Next, I tried the raspberry version. It was like eating rich, buttery toast with jam...minus the toast. I really enjoyed the soft texture of these caramels, they were easy to eat.

 

This assortment of caramels would make a great holiday corporate gift for a small office. The individually wrapped caramels can easily be shared with a crowd. I ate more than my fair share and had plenty to share with friends and family.

 

Check out my unboxing video to see what it’s like to get a gift box from Saul Good Gift Co.

 

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About the Author & Photographer

Jasmine Lukuku is a professional sweet tooth who spends much of her time baking, eating, photographing and writing about treats. She co-founded chocolatecodex.com to share her love of fine chocolate with the world. Follow Jasmine: @chocolatecodex