I guess i'm going for a certain character. I had an older bottle of Westmalle Dubbel one time, past it's best by date by around 1 year, and the dark fruit flavor was subdued, it had a very chocolate/caramel nose, and the flavor was what you expect from a dubbel or dark strong but maltier and almost chocolately. It still had those raisiney, plumy, dark fruit flavors but they were subdued and more subtle.
I'm assuming aging played a part so I am sort of looking to replicate that. Any thoughts? Does what I said make sense?
It's been a while since I've had a Westmalle Dubbel, but I do seem to recall a touch of roast/chocolate there. A half pound of chocolate malt might be a bit much, though. I'd start at maybe 3-4 ounces and then work up from there. I think you'll probably want to include at least a small amount of a dark crystal malt to add some of that caramel character you're looking for. Special B may do it, but I don't know if a Crystal malt in the 80-120L range might be closer to what you're shooting for. Those get you more in a caramel/toffee range with a bit less of the fig/raisin than Special B. I'd go with maybe a half pound of whatever Crystal malt you choose, and then dial it in from there.
Just know that it is doubtful that you'll nail this dead-on with the first go around. So don't agonize over any particular detail. Your first shot will hopefully get you in the ballpark, and you can dial it in from there. It sounds like you have a good picture of what you're shooting for. This will be a helpful (and tasty) recipe to dial in over time.
Make sure you keep us posted with your results!