Ingredients

Step by step

1. Pour the cider into a small, deep saucepan. Stand a chopstick or wooden spoon in the pan and mark where the cider comes up to. Remove and make another mark about three-quarters of the way down from your initial mark; set aside. Bring the cider to a boil over a high heat then lower the heat slightly and simmer until the liquid has reduced, darkened, and is no lower than the second mark made on the chopstick/spoon. This will take around 40 minutes and should leave you with about 145ml of reduced cider.
2. Meanwhile, grease and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper, leaving plenty of overhang, and make sure all your other ingredients are prepped and ready to go.
3. Remove the reduced apple cider from the heat and stir in the butter, both sugars and the cream. Return the pan to a medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Cook until it reaches 125°C on a cook’s thermometer. This should take about 15 minutes – during this time, avoid stirring and swirl the pan instead.
4. Immediately remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla and spices. Pour the caramel into the prepared tin and leave for 5 minutes before sprinkling over a large pinch of sea salt flakes. Leave at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours, until cool and firm, then chill in the fridge for a further 15 minutes – this will help when slicing.
5. Use the baking paper to lift the caramel out of the tin to a chopping board. Lightly grease a sharp knife to cut the caramel into squares, greasing again between slices – you should get about 72 caramels. Wrap each caramel in a small piece of greaseproof baking paper, twisting to close. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Let the caramels sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before eating.