Salted Caramels and Caramel Apples

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Salted Caramels

• 1 ½ c. sugar
• ¼ c. corn syrup
• ¼ c. water
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 5 TBSP butter
• 1 tsp. fleur de sel, sea salt, or vanilla salt, plus more for sprinkling
• Caviar of 1 vanilla bean
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Equipment:

• Heavy-bottomed cooking pot twice as big as you think you’ll need
• Accurate candy thermometer
• Cookie sheet lined with parchment, or Candy Pan, thoroughly buttered, for cooling
• Long-handled wooden spoon

Get everything ready before you start, because once you get going, you really can’t stop.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium high heat until sugar boils to a golden brown. Don’t stir, just gently swirl the pan occasionally, and watch carefully. It will boil for a long time and then rapidly turn brown.

While it is cooking, mix together the cream, butter, salt, vanilla caviar, and vanilla extract and heat gently until the butter is melted. Keep warm.

When the sugar turns golden brown, add the cream mixture slowly and be careful—it will bubble violently! Add a reliable candy thermometer (or check temperature frequently) and begin stirring constantly. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches desired temperature:

When Candy has hit the desired temperature, pour onto a buttered cookie sheet. Let cool for a few minutes before sprinkling with more salt. Cool until room temperature before cutting into bite-size pieces and wrapping in cellophane, or dipping in chocolate.

To make Caramel Apples:

Wash and dry 1-6 Granny Smith apples prior to starting the caramel. Make sure to remove any stickers! Insert a popsicle stick into the core. When the candy reaches about 240 °F, transfer it to a different heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking. Let cool slightly, and then dip Granny Smith apples (insert a popsicle stick into the core for easier handling) into the caramel, spooning the caramel up and over the whole apple, until it’s coated. Set on a piece of parchment paper on a heat-proof surface to cool. When the caramel is completely cool and set, you can dip the apple in chocolate and roll it in other toppings. We love adding cinnamon vanilla paste to the caramel (about 2 TBSP, and add it to the cream and butter), then covering in white chocolate and vanilla cinnamon sugar!