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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.