smittenkitchen
Apple Cider Caramels
My favorite candy I’ve ever made compacts a whole bottle of fresh apple cider into a salt-flecked, cinnamon-y, buttery caramel that is so loud with everything awesome about fall, no October i…
👥 64 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 45 min👤 deb📖 smittenkitchen
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●saucepan
- ●stove
- ●pan
- ●pot
- ●bowl
- ●knife
- ●cutting board
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Boil the apple cider in a 3- to- 4- quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to ⏱️ 40 minutes on my stove. Stir occasionally.
(945 ml) apple cider4 cups(115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks8 tablespoons(200 grams) granulated sugar1 cupcup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar1/2cup (80 ml) heavy cream1/3
2
Meanwhile, get your other ingredients in order, because you won’t have time to spare once the candy is cooking. Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment. Set it aside. Stir the cinnamon and flaky salt together in a small dish.
3
Once you are finished reducing the apple cider, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium- high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it.
4
(Don’t have a candy or deep- fry thermometer? Have a bowl of very cold water ready, and cook the caramel until a tiny spoonful dropped into the water becomes firm, chewy, and able to be plied into a ball.)
5
Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon- salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evenly. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm—about ⏱️ 2 hours, though it goes faster in the fridge. Once caramel is firm, use your parchment paper sling to transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well- oiled knife, oiling it after each cut (trust me!), to cut the caramel into 1-by-1-inch squares. Wrap each one in a 4-inch square of waxed paper, twisting the sides to close. Caramels will be somewhat on the soft side at room temperature, and chewy/firm from the fridge.
6
Caramels keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for two weeks, but really, good luck with that.
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