Give me a choice between caramel and chocolate, and I will choose caramel any day. I especially love a sweet & lusciously smooth caramel sauce. This apple cider version embodies the coziness of fall, and making this evokes all the memories of apple picking, hayrides, caramel apples, and corn mazes that we love about this season.
Caramel doesn’t have to be intimidating to make, and this recipe is fuss free and doesn’t require a candy thermometer. The cider can take a bit to reduce, but don’t skip this step as it concentrates the apple flavor into a sweet syrup.
You may notice I recommend not stirring the mixture while caramelizing the sugar. I’ve found stirring can cause crystallization, so I prefer to let it do its thing and only gently swirling the pan until it gets to the color I am looking for. One of my favorite tricks while making any sort of caramel or sugar mixture that can crystalize is to put a lid on the pan if I notice any granules forming–the steam in the pot will dissolve them away.
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a small sauce pan, bring apple cider to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduce to ⅓ cup. Remove from heat. Add cream, stirring to combine, and keep warm (place back on a low heat if this gets too cool).
- In a clean, heavy-bottom sauce pan, add water. Pour in sugar in the center. Do not stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. If you are noticing crystals/granules on the side of the pot, cover with a lid for a minute. Continue to boil, without stirring, until golden. Once golden, continue to simmer, watching carefully and swirling the pan occasionally, until fragrant and a deep caramel color, being careful not to burn.
- Turn heat off, and stir in cream and apple cider mixture, ⅓ at a time, allowing mixture to bubble up then settle down after each addition, stirring constantly. Remove from heat source, and stir in butter, sea salt, and vanilla. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
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