CC Made
Artisanal caramels from California with distinct salt flavors
Wanting to share her distinctly flavored caramel products with a broader audience, CC Made founder Cassandra Chen teamed up with her cousin, Emily Hou, to create their line of artisanal caramels. Once reserved for lucky family members, the California-based product is now sold in gourmet food stores all over the state. Offered in three variations—Bitter Sea Salt, Madagascar Vanilla and Himalayan Pink Salt—the caramel confections are each flavored by a different salt added to a base blend of cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup.
The creamy consistency of caramels delivers rich, mouth-watering flavor. Infused with the right amount of salt, these soft caramels do not overwhelm the palate with sweetness. The muted sugary tones melt away as quickly as the candy in your mouth does. The lightly bitter finish was satisfying to some, but those with a serious sweet tooth hoped for a little more body. Bitter Sea Salt emerged as our favorite, especially after we cooled the treats in the fridge (this trick helped the unique salt flavors come through and firmed up their consistency).
While Cassandra’s focus is on the recipe, Emily is responsible for the confection’s bold packaging. As pleasing to the eyes as the caramel is to the tongue, each box is backed by a bright graphic that varies in colorways according to flavor. Resembling abstracted tree branches, the graphic card inserts can be removed from the box and reused.
CC Made can be found at these CA retailers or ordered online. A box of around 12 caramels sells for $6.50. If you’re craving caramel in other forms, check out their caramel corn and keep a look out for their line of caramel sauces available in select stores.
