Vanilla buttercream. Recipe: a slightly tinkered-with recipe from the Land o’ Lakes website. These are the best in show, visually.

Salted Caramel Dipped in Chocolate. Recipe: David Lebovitz. Problem areas: Where to start? This was not supposed to look like a Lego figurine, for starters. The caramel was too soft, the dipping chocolate recipe resulted in a gloppy mess.

We’re calling this the Winter Hexagon. Chocolate sea salt caramel. Recipe from Mark Bittman, but with increased heat to firm it up a bit more. Success level: High. This one can travel. We fault the photographer for using hot lights that made it look more melty than it looks in our home kitchen.

Salted Caramel. Recipe: David Lebovitz. Problem area: Too soft; turned into a puddle overnight.

Opera Cream. Recipe: Joy of Cooking circa 1967. Tastes much better than it looks.

Opera cream. Recipe: Joy of Cooking, circa 1967. This is a very unattractive angle, which gives the reader the sense that the author’s handmade candy looks like turds. It does not. Or not often.

Allegedly, a salted caramel. Recipe: David Lebovitz. Blame a broken candy thermometer for the dark color. Texture: hockey puck. Flavor: bitter. Surface: oily from the unnecessary cooking spray used on the silicon mold.