Help with Candymaking!! Please!

[Denise]

I made my first attempt last night with some chocolate caramels. When they were still warm they were way too gooey to cut, now that they are cool they are rock hard! I can't even make a dent in them. Any ideas on how to soften them? Did I just cook it too long? I did use a candy thermometer.
Does anyone have any good candy recipes to share? I am new at this and going at it blindly!

[ebobbitt]

Do you think it might help to calibrate the candy thermometer before starting the candy making process? I have found that over the years my candy thermometer isn't really "true". Because candy making is so temperature dependent, I would even calibrate a new thermometer before using it.
Elizabeth