This apple cider caramel sauce was born from my apple cider caramel donut ice cream. But it’s so good that it deserves a life of its own. The other day, I used it as a dip for apples, and it was incredible. To make it, simply reduce some apple cider to concentrate the flavor, and cook it into a real caramel finished with heavy cream. The result is deeply apple-forward, pourable when warm, and soft enough to swirl cleanly into ice cream once chilled.
The recipe makes about 1 cup—enough to swirl through a full batch of ice cream with extra left over for drizzling.
Why I Reduce the Cider Instead of Just Adding It
Early versions of this apple cider caramel sauce skipped the reduction step; I just added cider straight to the sugar as it cooked. But the problem was dilution. By the time the caramel came together, the apple flavor had all but disappeared. Reducing the cider down to about a quarter cup first concentrates it into something that actually tastes like apples, not just vaguely sweet. It’s a slower process (plan for 30–45 minutes of (mostly) hands-off simmering), but it’s the difference between a caramel that happens to have cider in it and one that actually tastes like cider.
How to Keep Caramel Soft Even After Freezing
Caramel and freezers don’t always get along. Success really comes down to temperature on both ends of the process. Cook it too far, and what was soft and pourable on the stove turns into something closer to hard candy once it hits sub-zero temperatures. I cook my apple cider caramel sauce to 245–250°F (the firm-ball stage), which keeps the sugar structure loose enough to stay pliable even in the freezer. And adding cream at the end rather than cooking it down with everything else helps further by lowering the sugar concentration.
If you’re ever unsure, test a spoonful on a frozen plate or in the freezer for a minute. It should stay soft enough to swirl with a knife. If it firms up more than you’d like, whisk in a little more cream, a tablespoon at a time, until it loosens back up.
More Ways to Use Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
I think this sauce would be right at home in just about any autumnal ice cream flavor (or even plain vanilla). But it’s also great:
- Stirred into your morning coffee or chai
- Drizzled over pancakes or waffles
- Spooned over baked apples or oatmeal
- Used as a dip for sliced apples
Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 454 g apple cider 16 oz
- 242 g heavy cream
- 150 g cane sugar
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 4 g vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg optional
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves optional
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Instant-Read Thermometer
- Whisk
Method
- Place 454 g apple cider in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Let simmer until it reaches ¼ cup in volume, lowering the temperature as needed to prevent burning. This should take about 30-45 minutes.
- While the cider is reducing, heat 242 g heavy cream to just boiling, then remove from the heat and cover until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, place 150 g cane sugar in a medium saucepan with just enough water to wet it and ½ tsp lemon juice.
- Heat the sugar over medium, and let simmer until it reaches your desired caramel color. I like to aim for 245-250°F (firm-ball stage) to keep the caramel from turning out too hard.
- Stir in the hot cream, and whisk over low heat until it forms a creamy caramel.
- Stir in the cider reduction.
- Then, stir in 4 g vanilla extract, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ⅛ tsp ground cloves, and ½ tsp kosher salt.
- Pour into a heatproof container and let chill for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Notes
