It was a tempting week in the How Sweet house.

After spending too many moments stealing spoonfuls from a jar of salted caramel, I realized I needed to do something with it.

Instead of making peanut butter cups, I made salted caramel cups. Milk chocolate surrounding salty caramel sounded irresistible.

I used a mini muffin pan and got to work.

Many of them turned out perfectly.

But some looked like this.

And these weren’t perfect either. Still, there’s no reason to complain — who would pass up a piece of chocolate with caramel oozing from the sides?

Homemade Chocolate Caramel Cups
Makes about 12 mini cups
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup cold salted caramel (homemade or store-bought)
- 12 mini muffin liners
Instructions:
- Line a mini muffin tin with the liners.
- Melt one cup of the chocolate chips until smooth. Spoon about a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each liner to form a base. Place the tray in the freezer to set for about 20 minutes (check after a few minutes to ensure it’s solidifying).
- Make sure the caramel is very cold and has been refrigerated. Working quickly, place a small spoonful of the cold caramel on top of each chocolate base. Return the tray to the freezer for 20–30 minutes so the caramel firms up.
- While the caramel chills, melt the remaining cup of chocolate chips. Remove the muffin tray from the freezer and, working fast so the caramel stays firm, spoon another teaspoon (or more) of melted chocolate over each caramel mound to fully seal it. Tap the pan gently on the counter to level the chocolate.
- Chill again in the freezer for 20–30 minutes to set. Store the finished cups refrigerated until serving.

Now I’m out of caramel, which is probably a good thing for my sweet-tooth—and for my spoon.