If you can't cook a turkey and write your Christmas list at the same time, you've failed in holiday multi-tasking.
But we're here to help. Starting today until December 25, Jessica and I are going to let you what we want for Christmas, because the best gifts to give are often the ones you want to eat yourself.
#1: Coco-luxe Caramels.
I like chocolate, but I feel a deep connection to caramel. Put the two together and add salt? I will unashamedly horde them. Coco-luxe's untraditional caramels come in three flavors: Shoo-fly Pie with black-strap molasses enrobed in dark chocolate and topped with a tiny, crunchy sprinkle of Salish Smoked Salt; praline enrobed in milk chocolate and topped with Alaea Hawaiian sea salt; and butterscotch caramel enrobed in white chocolate and topped with Sonoma sea salt. I could have done without the white chocolate version, but the others I found myself eating on the hour every hour until they were gone.
My excellent taste was confirmed just as I was about to post this blog: Coco-luxe—which was founded by local, Stephanie Marcon—emailed me to let me know that their "Shoo-fly Caramel" just won "Best Bonbon 2008" at the Next Generation of Chocolatier Awards. So, quick—stop by Coco-luxe's cute Lower Haight shop that opened in July and pick up some caramels, as their logo states, "to share or not."
Not.