Salted Apple Cider Caramels

 

I make these caramels every year to usher in Fall  they are SO good.  If I take them to a party people always comment “I can’t stop eating them!”  They taste a bit like a caramel apple.  That being said,  I have to warn people the caramels are made with apple cider otherwise they expect the caramel to taste like a standard caramel and think something is wrong  :)  If you give the caramels out as gifts make sure to include a label “salted apple cider caramels”

Note: Apple cider, is different from both apple juice and the hard, or alcoholic, fermented apple cider. It’s a fresh, unfiltered (it has sediment), raw apple juice — the juice literally pressed from fresh apples. It’s unpasteurized, and must be refrigerated, because it’s perishable.  I buy it at Farmers Markets, or stores like Whole Foods. 

8 cups apple cider
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 ground ginger

1/4 allspice it nutmeg

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 cardamom 
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
Neutral oil for the knife

In a 3-4 quart saucepan, over medium high heat, add the apple cider and bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat and continue boiling until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, about 1 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes on my stove. 

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 a quarter sheet pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment paper. Set it aside. Stir the spices and salt together in a small dish.

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 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on it and don’t stir. 

(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.)

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.

Do ahead: Caramels keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for two weeks, (I’ll be impressed if they last that long :)