Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups apple cider
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons flaky sea salt (such as Maldon, or less of a finer one (plus extra for sprinkling on top))
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Boil the apple cider in a 3-to-4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. Stir every 10 minutes or so. This took me about 45 minutes.
- While the cider is reducing, prepare and measure out the rest of your ingredients. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment. Set aside.
- 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, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it to ensure the caramel doesn’t burn.
- If you 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 once it reaches temperature and add cinnamon and salt. Stir the mixture. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm—about 2 hours, or faster in the fridge.
- Once caramel is firm, use the parchment paper to transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well- oiled knife or pizza cutter 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.
- Caramels keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for two weeks, or in the fridge for a month.