Makes 64 small squares

113 grams/½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

100 grams/½ cup sugar

100 grams/½ cup light brown sugar

164grams/½ cup light corn syrup

232 grams/1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

125 grams/1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1¼ teaspoons fancy flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

1. Focus: Candy making isn’t hard, but it demands attention. Turn off the phone and banish the dog. Multitasking only abets disaster. Locate the thermometer. It’s your friend.

2. Prep: Clip the thermometer to a large saucepan. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with 2 lengths of parchment, crisscrossed. Melt the butter and brush about 1 tablespoon onto the bottom and sides of the parchment-lined pan. Set pan on a cooling rack. Keep the brush and a pot of hot water handy.

3. Boil: Pour the remaining butter into the saucepan along with both sugars, the corn syrup and the cream. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Wash down any stray sugar with the brush dipped in hot water. Lower heat, keeping caramel at a steady boil and continue cooking, stirring now and then, until temperature reaches 238 degrees, about 20 minutes.

4. Cool: Pull pan off heat. Carefully stir in vanilla, nuts, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour into prepared pan; do not scrape out saucepan. Sprinkle caramel with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let cool to room temperature, 1 hour.

5. Cut: Lift out caramel by its parchment overhang. Peel off paper. Use a large knife to cut into 1-by-1 inch squares. Wrap each in a twist of wax paper. Enjoy post-exercise, or whenever a sweet/salt hit appeals.

6. Clean-up: Fill saucepan with water to cover caramel residue. Bring to a boil. Scrape sides with a wooden spoon. Drain.