Apple Caramel Sauce (From Scratch)

I love caramel on my ice cream… second only to pineapple.  I’ve been making my caramel sauce from scratch for awhile now because it’s just so simple.  It’s hard to go wrong with plain caramel, but since it’s fall and I have a gallon of pressed apple cider in my fridge I decided to get a little creative, and the results turned out amazing.

It tastes like the inside of an apple pie – spoon some of this sauce over vanilla ice cream and it tastes like apple pie a la mode.

I use a 3 quart saucepan for this recipe.  I caution you to not use anything smaller because as the water is boiling off it bubbles up a lot more than plain caramel sauce.

A candy thermometer is also quite helpful.  Most times when I make caramel sauce I don’t use one and just go by the color of the mixture to determine when it is done.  However, this mixture starts out caramel-colored, so it is nearly impossible to tell when it is done using that method.

Add 1 cup of apple cider (the good stuff… if you have an abundance of apples you can certainly make your own!), 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon of light corn syrup to your saucepan.

Secure your candy thermometer.

If you have a programmable thermometer, set your alarm for 243 degrees. According to the reference sheet that came with my thermometer, the temperature for caramels is 244 – 248 degrees (firm ball) and I want to make sure to not go past that range.

Put the mixture over low heat.  You can stir or swirl occasionally.

In the meantime, measure out 1 cup of heavy cream and to it add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon.  Set that aside for a bit.

Once the mixture hits boiling (212 degrees) don’t let it out of your sight.  It’s going to want to bubble up, and you’ll want to stir it down every once in awhile.  This is a mess you don’t want to happen on your stove.

As soon as the mixture hits 243 degrees, turn off the heat and remove the candy thermometer.  Add the heavy cream mixture and give it a good stir.

Put it back over low heat and bring the mix back to a boil.  Once it is boiling, cook it for two minutes to thicken it, stirring constantly.

Pour the hot mixture carefully into a heatproof jar (a wide-mouth pint works perfectly) and let it cool completely.  The sauce will seem a little thin but it will thicken as it cools.  If it separates a little while cooling, just give it a good stir before putting on the lid.  I store mine in the fridge – I can’t tell you how long it’s good for, because it hasn’t lasted more than a week around here!

Apple Caramel Sauce

• Servings: About 16 1-oz servings
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Ingredients

• 1 cup apple cider (the good stuff)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• a pinch of ground cinnamon

Directions

Add the apple cider, granulated sugar, light corn syrup to your saucepan.  Secure your candy thermometer.

Put the mixture over low heat.  You can stir or swirl occasionally.

Measure out the heavy cream and to it add the vanilla and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Once the mixture hits boiling (212 degrees) don’t let it out of your sight.  Stir down the bubbles occasionally.

As soon as the mixture hits 243 degrees, turn off the heat and remove the candy thermometer.  Add the heavy cream mixture and give it a good stir.  Put it back over low heat and bring the mix back to a boil.  Once it is boiling, cook it for two minutes to thicken it, stirring constantly.

Pour the hot mixture into a heatproof jar and let it cool completely before putting on the lid. 

Kimberly | My Frugal Farmstead

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