Apple Cider Caramels with Streusel Spice

Ingredients

• 4 cups apple cider
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pick apples.

Juice.

Boil for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from scorching.

Remove from heat.

Mix sugar, butter, heavy cream into reduced apple cider.

Put pan back on heat.

Boil to 252 degrees. Takes about 5 minutes.

Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a little salt.

Pour into prepared molds lined with parchment paper.

Cool in refrigerator.

Cut into squares. Wrap in wax paper.

I inherited a juicer. I had pondered purchasing until now, but we didn't think we would use it enough.

We have been proven wrong. I do use it. Alot. Mostly, to make these caramels. These apple spiced caramels. We have many, many apples. Many years, they go into the winter still hanging on the tree.

Maybe not this year.

Note: the initial recipe is from the "Brown-Eyed Baker."

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Whole Apples

If the apple fits in the chute, it goes in. Comes out juice. The machine separates out the seeds, stems and peels.

Who does it any other way?

Last year, I built an apple press, pureed the apples using a smoothie machine and fashioned a squishing bag from some fabric. It worked fairly well, although I was trying to make hard cider and not caramels. I ended up with some smelly wine and vinegar and decided to try something else.

Mold Preparation

With caramels, you need a mold.

A mold is just a pan lined with parchment paper that you pour your boiled candy mixture into.

Parchment paper is stiff, and should be cut at least three inches wider than your pan. I stapled my corners to keep the paper down. It worked great. The first time I did these molds, I didn't use anything and my paper shifted and part of my caramel ended up under the paper.

The staples worked. Note: I was going to use scotch tape, but it doesn't stick to parchment paper.

The parchment paper keeps the caramels from sticking. Keeps them in a square shape, plus, you can lift the solid piece of caramel up out of the pan so you can cut it into cubes later.

While your apples are boiling and reducing, you should get your add-ins ready.

The butter, sugar and cream are first. With them, you will use a candy thermometer. It will take about 5 minutes of boiling.

Remove from heat at 252 degrees and stir in your spices.

Then, pour into your parchment paper lined dish.

Let cool in refrigerator.

When the initial reducing period is over, remove pan from heat. Add the butter, sugar and heavy to the reduced apples.

Place the candy thermometer on the back of the pan and rotate the face so that you can see the mercury. The mercury is the red line that shows you the temperature.

It takes about five minutes of boiling to reach 252 degrees.

At this point, remove from heat, stir in spices. Pour mixture into parchment lined mold.

Place in refrigerator to cool and harden. Hardening occurs when cooled. Overnight.

Then, cut into squares, wrap with cut pieces of wax paper.

Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy.