Come December, lots of us think about candy. (Can we help it?) For a group of students at NEOMED’s Bio-Med Science Academy, a two-week elective in candy-making was so popular that there was only room for juniors and seniors to enroll. The class is taught by social studies educator Max Monegan, whose hobby is candy-making and who is known for bringing in treats for students. On a recent afternoon, half of his students were carefully removing foil from the glistening tan slabs of candy and learning how to cut and wrap the previous day’s batch of caramel into bite-size pieces. The other half was standing over hot burners, learning about the chemical impact of dairy products on the process of making toffee. (Overheard, from the students stationed by the giant silver pots: “Why are we stirring again?’’ Answer: “So it doesn’t scorch.’’)

Takeaway for those not lucky enough to get into the class: When making salted caramels, dab a little water on top of the candy before applying the coarse salt. That makes the salt stick better. Mmmm.