My daughter, my sister, and a good friend kept urging me to learn how to make caramel. Just about everybody loves caramel, they insisted, even if I don’t. Well, I guess they were right, because salted dark caramel was my top seller this holiday season. Two people alone bought a total of 33 boxes.

People often ask me what the “best” chocolate is; my usual response is whatever chocolate you enjoy most. But there are big differences in the chocolates we eat, and some are made with barely any real chocolate. A quick way to tell is to check the list of ingredients.