Salted Apple Cider Caramels Full Recipe Double cider, add butter, replace cream w/butter Full recipe oz 64 oz fresh apple cider (juice) (non-alcoholic) (8 cups) 1 oz flavourful apple cider vinegar (e.g.Bragg’s) (2T) 8 oz butter (2 sticks)or(16 tablespoons) 7.6 oz granulated sugar (1 cup) 4.4 oz light brown sugar (1/2 cup) 1/2 t ground cinnamon 1.5 t large salt (plus more for garnish) (Korean coarse salt with largest pieces removed) Boil apple cider and the vinegar in a large saucepan over medium to high heat until it is reduced to 8 to 12 oz. While the cider is boiling, line a 8 inch square baking pan with two long, pan-width sheets of parchment paper forming a cross. Lightly spray the parchment paper with Pam or equivalent and set aside. Pre-measure cinnamon and 1.5t salt into a small cup so they can be easily added and stirred in when the caramel comes off the heat. When the cider mixture is reduced, add the butter, and sugars and stir over medium high heat until dissolved. Stop stirring. Monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer. When caramel reaches 245 F remove it from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and salt. Try to make sure it is evenly distributed. If in doubt, give it a few more stirs. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the table to help remove bubbles. I like to decorate the top surface with some more salt. After about 5 minutes I’ll drop a couple grains on the surface to see if they sink or not. If they remain on top I add an even distribution if grains so that each piece will have 3-5 grains. Cool the caramels in the refrigerator ~1 hour. Cut and wrap the caramels. Oiling the knife blade helps the knife from sticking and might retard the pieced from welding themselves back together. Cutting the 8x8 block into 8 parts vertically and 16 parts horizontally yields generous sized 1”x1/2” caramels. You can wrap them in 4 “ squares of waxed paper or oiled parchment paper but commercial caramel wrappers are easier and much more impressive. High Quality Caramel Wrappers 800-1000 Cnt: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GL5Y6A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Inspired by: Salted Apple Cider Caramels https://smittenkitchen.com/2012/10/apple-cider-caramels-the-book-is-here/ From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook Apple cider (sometimes called sweet or “soft” cider), as I’m referring to it here, 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. In the Northeast, I usually find it at farm stands and some grocery stores. I occasionally find vacuum- sealed bottles called apple cider in the juice aisle, but none of the bottled varieties that I’ve tried has the same delicate apple flavor as the more perishable stuff sold in the refrigerator section. 4 cups (945 ml) apple cider 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or less of a finer one 8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar 1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream Neutral oil for the knife Boil the apple cider in a 3- to- 4- quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes on my stove. Stir occasionally. 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 an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with 2 long sheets of crisscrossed parchment. Set it aside. Stir the cinnamon and flaky 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 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. (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, but really, good luck with that.