Dulce de Leche Caramels

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I was cleaning out my pantry and found a little cellophane bag tied with red ribbon, full of red foil Rolos and homemade caramels. Cellophane bag + red foil Rolos means someone must have given this to me last Christmas. And because it also contains a weird Christmas broach, I can't imagine anyone who gave this to me actually knows me that well.

I assume the weird Christmas broach thing is why it ended up in the back of the pantry. I set out the bag for tossing, but then after taking Zyrtec AND Ambien I decided it was a good idea to try one of the caramels. Pretty much I hate caramels, so why I'd want to eat eight month old caramels made by someone with poor fashion taste, I have no idea. Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

I took a bite and suddenly the soft, rich flavor of dulce de leche is melting in my mouth and I don't care for caramel, but dulce de leche is like liquid gold with rubies mixed in. Simply wonderful. I remember my mom giving us a heaping teaspoon of homemade dulce de leche and nursing that spoon while we watched cartoons together at Christmastime. It's terribly sweet but also milky and warm and smooth with a slight maple-ish hint and by golly this piece of candy is pretty much the best thing I have put into my mouth all year, even counting Chuy's Boom Boom sauce. And I have no idea who gave them to me. (If I knew, I'd be shamelessly begging for more.)

I ate another one today. Eight months old be damned, they are delicious. If I die tomorrow, now you know why.

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