I love these, and so do my guests…the original recipe comes from The Brown Eyed Baker, and true to who I am, I have tweaked it a little bit.  I hope you will try these for yourself!!  They are very easy to make, very yummy and they make great gifts.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Apple Pie Cider Caramels

Yield: 64 caramels Prep:5 minutes Cook:55 minutes Total:1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4 cups apple cider
• 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Boil the apple cider in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between ⅓-cup and ½-cup in volume. This could take anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving excess hanging over the sides. In a small bowl, stir together the sea salt and apple pie spice.
3. Once the apple cider has finished reducing, 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 of the pan, and let boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees F. Immediately remove the caramel from heat, add the apple pie spice-salt mixture, and stir several times with a wooden spoon. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Let sit until cool and firm, about 2 hours.
4. Once the caramel is firm, use the parchment overhangs to lift it out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife coated with non-stick cooking spray, cut the caramel into 1-inch squares. (You may need to re-spray the knife multiple times while cutting.)
5. Wrap each caramel in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting the sides to close. The caramels can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.