First,
Thank You Stormalong!
This candy was made with the support from Stormalong Cider, one of my favorite cider companies in Sherborn, Massachusetts. I used their “Happy Holidays” cider because it is like the best flavors of apple pie in a beautiful and festive tall can. It just screams New England holidays! Before turning it into some other delicious treat, take a sip first. Don’t worry about having booze in the caramel, it won’t get you drunk.
Is It Really the Best Candy?
Caramel is such a delight! It is delicious as a sauce, soft and chewy, or hard and toothy. It can even be sexy but we will keep this rated G. Caramel can be intimidating because it is becomes this hot liquid at first and it is easy to under estimate the growth of it when it first starts to boil because you start with a small amount of material relative to the pot you are using.
Let this help you! (Kitchen Tips)
- Make sure the pot you use is a heavy-bottom and at a minimum of 4 quarts but don’t get crazy because you want to make sure the thermometer reads at the bottom of the pot and liquid covers reader.
- I used unsalted butter instead of salted butter because I like to have control of the amount of sodium
- The use of hard cider can be your favorite cider, but I do recommend using Stormalong’s “Happy Holidays” as it is on the sweeter side and has all the best flavors of apple pie.
- When cutting, run your knife through hot water. It can help cut through the sugar and caramel. Also use a heavy weighted knife but be careful to not cut yourself.
- I cut them into 0.5″ sizes, but if you want them to be bigger, just make sure you multiply the size of the wax paper with the same number you used to multiply the size of the caramel.
Kitchen Tools
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- heavy-bottom 4 quart pot
- candy thermometer
- kitchen scale
- baking pan
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- parchment paper
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Hard Cider Caramel Candy
Apple pie meets candy! This delicious treat is made with my favorite cider, Stormalong Happy Holidays.
- heavy-bottom 4 qt pot
- candy thermometer
- kitchen scale
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- baking pan/vessel
- parchment paper
- 454 grams heavy cream
- 312 grams light corn syrup
- 397 grams granulated sugar
- 85 grams unsalted butter
- 115 grams hard cider (semi-sweet was used)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (ground)
- 1/4 tsp ginger (ground)
- 1/4 tsp allspice (ground)
- 1/2 tsp salt (kosher)
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Line a square or any baking pan with parchment paper with some over hang on the opposite sides so you can lift the caramel out when it is ready
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In a heavy-bottom 4-quart pot, combine the cream, corn syrup, sugar, butter, and cider.
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Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat while stirring to dissolve the sugar
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Reduce to medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reached about248 F on a thermometer. About 17 – 30 minutes depending on the stove
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Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the salt and spice
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OPTIONAL: Add flakey sea salt on top to finish before you let it set
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To wrap the caramels, cut them into 0.5" pieces. Cut wax or parchment paper into 3" squares and place each caramel in the center of them. Wrap the opposite edges of the paper around the caramel and twist the edges to close
