(All photos except main by Erik Erikson)

THE DISH
Dark chocolate caramel cups, with homemade caramel (recipe here; and here is a video of me making these — though not all in chronological order — and chatting about this site)

THE INSPIRATION
No connection to the band (I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness), just a play on the name! I’ll admit that there definitely are some people I’d choose dark chocolate over, though …

ABOUT INDIE ROCK DELI
It all started here, with a normal day at work that turned into an hours-long giggle fit. Indie Rock Deli dishes are inspired by punny takes on band names and song titles. Leave your own suggestions in the comments and they might be used in a future post! (No, they definitely don’t have to actually be indie rock.)

THE RECIPE
Caramel recipe adapted from Baked Explorations

Ingredients:

For the caramel (I recommend making this the day before so it fully cools):
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon sea salt

Chocolate:
12 oz. chopped dark chocolate (or chocolate chips), separated

About 15 miniature muffin cups

Directions:

• Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium saucepan. Stir carefully over high heat, making sure the mixture doesn’t splash onto the sides of the pot.

• After about five minutes, heat up the cream in the microwave for about 40 seconds (this is so it’s less of a shock to the boiling sugar when you pour it in).

• Keep a close eye on the sugar mixture because when it starts to change colors (after about 6-8 minutes), it can burn quickly! It will turn a very light brown, then a darker amber color (see below). When it turns amber, take the saucepan off the heat and slowly add the cream while whisking the mixture together. It is going to seize up and bubble a lot (and if you forget to take it off the heat, it will overflow and be a hot, dangerous, sticky mess — I know this from experience), but just keep whisking and it will come together. (Check out the video for some good visuals of this!)

• Add the sea salt, then whisk in the Greek yogurt. Pour the caramel into a glass container; if you’re using it the same day, let sit in the freezer until it thickens up (at first it will be very thin and syrupy), at least an hour. If you’re using it later on, letting it cool in the fridge is fine.

To assemble the cups

• Melt 6 ounces of dark chocolate either in the microwave (in 30-second increments) or using a double boiler (a glass bowl placed on top of a pot with simmering water; stir until melted). Pour about 1 teaspoon of chocolate into each muffin cup and spread evenly. Freeze for 30 minutes.

• Fill chocolate cups about 2/3 to the top with caramel.

• Melt the other 6 ounces of chocolate. Top cups with about another teaspoon of chocolate, and spread with a small offset spatula. Put back in the freezer to set; then keep in the freezer or refrigerator until eaten.