| Recipe: |
A tale of missed connections... Once upon a time I saw boxes of apple cider caramels in Trader Joe's. I bought one for my aunt Kathy, figuring she'd enjoy them because I remember her making caramels from scratch. I didn't get the report (she loved them) until they were gone from the shelves. The fact that I never got to try them was like sand in my shoe. Eventually I went recipe-hunting and franken-carameled a couple together. *I* think they're pretty darn tasty... definitely enough to spend some carbs on!
1/2 gallon apple cider*, cooked down to 2/3-1cup of syrup
1.25 c heavy cream
1t salt
1 c sugar
6 T butter, cut into chunks
flake salt for sprinkling on finished caramels (I use margarita salt :-)
STEP 1:
Pour cider in a pan (larger diameter is better - more surface area means it will cook down more quickly), bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it cooks down to a dark, medium-thick syrup. Expect that to take 30-60 minutes. Put syrup in a large measuring cup with cream and 1 t salt.
Line the bottom of a 13"x9" metal baking pan with parchment (or use 9"x9" if you want thicker caramels). Cross two sheets of parchment if a single sheet doesn't cover the bottom and at least 1" up sides.
STEP 2 for more experienced sugar-melters:
Put sugar in a 3 qt saucepan over a burner on medium/low-medium heat. Let sugar heat for a couple minutes, then scrape just the top 1/8" of sugar away and see if the sugar against the pan surface has started melting. Adjust the heat down if the molten starts browning quickly/turn heat up a little if it's taking a long time to start melting. Put off stirring as long as possible without burning the sugar. Stir until the sugar is all melted and deep golden brown**. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND START ADDING BUTTER, a few pieces at a time, stirring with a heatproof spatula (this will halt the cooking; be careful, the caramel will sputter).
STEP 2 for inexperienced/paranoid sugar-melters (takes a little longer, but worth it if it makes you more comfortable with the process):
From NYTimes Cooking: Fill a glass with water, place a pastry brush inside and set next to the stove. Combine the sugar and 2-3 T water in a large, heavy saucepan (the lighter the bottom of the pan the easier it will be to gauge the color of the caramel) and stir gently with a heatproof spatula over medium-high heat to dissolve the sugar, about 3 minutes. Let the mixture come to a boil and use the wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the saucepan and dissolve any stuck-on sugar crystals. Boil the mixture without stirring, occasionally swirling the saucepan gently and brushing down the sides of the saucepan if you see crystals forming, until the syrup takes on a pale golden color and the bubbles become large and slow to pop (a sign that the water had boiled off and caramelization is near), about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook, keeping a close watch and swirling the saucepan frequently, until the bubbling has mostly subsided and the mixture is very fluid and a deep amber color, 4 to 7 minutes**. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND START ADDING BUTTER, a few pieces at a time, stirring with a heatproof spatula (this will halt the cooking; be careful, the caramel will sputter).
**This is a delicate call... a few seconds can be the difference between rich caramel and burned sugar... if it burns, just dash the pan outside (so you don't get that burned sugar smell in the house) and quickly pour out the sugar while it's still liquid.
STEP 3:
Stir in the apple cider/cream/salt mixture. Return the saucepan to the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 250 F (softer caramels) - 255 F (firmer caramels). Immediately remove from heat and pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with flake salt to your taste. Cool (on counter or in fridge).
STEP 4:
Once caramels are set, lift out with parchment and cut into small bars. Wrap in rectangles of parchment (or wax paper or foil candy wrappers), twisting ends to keep closed. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
*I've made it once with fresh/refrigerated and once with bottled/shelf-stable cider... had them a year apart, but I think the fresh cider was a bit tastier, if you have the luxury of choice
Whole recipe has about 450 g carb. Caramels are about 2/3 carbs by weight (a 15 g candy has 10 g carb). |
