Apple Cider Caramels
Fall is somehow always a time for trip down memory lane.
Recently, I guess I’ve been leaning toward making old recipes I used to enjoy instead of trying new ones. Guess I’m just actually trying to dig deep into the past for that cooking spark again by recreating some of my favorite fall memories.
And yes, there is a not-so-interesting story involving my first few weeks in a professional kitchen involving this one. Fond memories for me, but I’ll spare you the boring details.
The idea behind this Smitten Kitchen recipe is replacing the inverted sugar portion of a caramel recipe - the usually optional part that helps prevent crystallization - with an apple cider reduction. Four cups of apple cider is reduced down to 1/2 to 1/3 cups over the course of over 30 minutes. The resulting thick syrup only lends just a hint of apple flavor; its main purpose is to provide a nice hit of acidity to a usually cloyingly sweet candy.
After making the reduction, the rest of the recipe goes quickly, but you will need a candy thermometer.
Smitten Kitchen Apple Cider Caramels
In a saucepan, reduce apple cider over medium heat:
4 cups apple cider
Simmer until the cider is reduced down to between 1/3 to 1/2 cups.
Pour in about 1/2 cup of cider in the pan first and eyeball the level in the pan as a rough gauge.
Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients:
Set A:
4 oz (1 stick) butter, in large chunks
110g brown sugar
200g sugar
70g heavy cream
Set B:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp Maldon or another flaky salt
the tiniest pinch of ground clove
Also, grease and line a 8” x 8” pan with parchment.
When the syrup is reduced enough (you can also tell by the size and speed of the bubbles), add Set A and stir well to combine.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring it. Let it cook until 252F or 121C, or about 5 minutes.
Add Set B, quickly stir to distribute the spices, and immediately pour into the prepared pan.
Cool completely on the counter and then let chill for 10-15 minutes in the fridge before cutting and portioning.
Cutting and Portioning
This is where you can have some fun! You could of course cut them into 1-inch squares, and wrap them like a starburst or something in a 4-inch square of wax paper.
You could instead sprinkle more spices on top, roll it up, and cut them like swiss rolls. Or I don’t know, ball it up like a gumball? Or do skinny rectangular pieces?
This time, I was inspired by the candy-shaped pasta we ate the week before at Fiorella and shaped them into little tootsie rolls and cut parchment paper to fit.
Whatever you decide to do, it’s all about temperature:
The candy is extremely moldable taffy at room temperature. Stretched it too far? Mush it back!
If it gets too soft, chill it for about 10 minutes and it will become a solid rock.
There is a narrow window where it is firmer, but still shapeable. This is the optimal cutting temperature. So I recommend you chill it before you cut strips, and work with the strips one at a time for cutting and wrapping individual pieces.
Lightly oil your knife for ease of cutting, but at the optimal temperature, you shouldn’t need too much oil.
Take as much time tediously wrapping them beautifully as your patience allows. They disappear so quickly though, so it’s almost not worth it? The mouth puckering tang makes them so addicting, and it’s hard to eat just one.
Notes
For this recipe, a sauce pan that is about 2 qts is perfect. You want something that gives the candy plenty of room to bubble up in the second stage. At the same time, if the pan is too large the reduction volume is harder to gauge and may be too shallow to accurately temp with a thermometer.
You can tell that the syrup is ready by scraping it into a heat proof cup measure - but I find that tedious. Just remember the approximate level that 1/2 cup of liquid takes in your pot, and then judge by the speed and size of the bubbles. When there is a lot of liquid and moisture, the boiling is fast and chaotic. Look for big, lazy slow bubbles to know that the syrup is getting thick. The exact volume measurement isn’t super important.
You don’t need to make this all in one go! Like I said, the syrup replaces a component of regular candy making. This means you can stop it after the reduction by transferring the syrup to a heat-safe container. When you’re ready to make the candy, add the syrup a clean saucepan and continue from step 5. (It will obviously take more than 5 minutes to cook to 252F.)
The syrup can probably be left covered on the counter for a day, or kept it in the fridge indefinitely.
If you do choose to make this in one go, everything should be prepared while the cider reduces - it moves very fast once the syrup is ready.