Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce (with Rum)
Inside: Apple cider simmered with cinnamon, cloves and allspice, cooked into a silky caramel sauce and finished with rum. No candy thermometer needed.
Most caramel sauces start with melted sugar. This one starts with a pot of apple cider, simmered with whole cinnamon, cloves and allspice until it’s a dark, concentrated syrup. Cream and butter turn it silky, and a splash of rum goes in at the end. It’s mulled cider in dessert sauce form, and it’s done in about 20 minutes without a candy thermometer.
For this apple-forward dessert sauce, the cider does most of the work. Two cups go into the pot and cook down to half a cup, concentrating the apple cider flavors. Whole spices steep as the liquid reduces for more fall-spice flavor.
Corn syrup goes in with the sugar to keep it from recrystallizing, which is why you don’t need a thermometer and why the sauce stays smooth. A splash of rum gets added after the sauce has cooled so the flavor is more prominent.
If caramel is your favorite way to finish a dessert, I’ve got a few more in the archive, and each one leans a different direction. My Bourbon Caramel Sauce with Pecans swaps the cider and rum for bourbon and toasted nuts. My stout caramel gets its depth from dark beer. And if you want brown sugar instead of booze, there’s a classic Butterscotch Sauce.
Why this recipe works:
- Real apple flavor. The cider reduction is the sauce base, not an add-in.
- Whole spices, no grit. Cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice berries flavor the reduction and come out before the sugar goes in.
- No candy thermometer. Corn syrup keeps the sugar from crystallizing, so you’re watching for “dissolved and syrupy,” not a number.
- Rum you can taste. Add it off the heat so the flavor doesn’t boil away.
- Pantry ingredients. Cider, sugar, corn syrup, cream, butter and whatever rum you have.
- Makes a great gift. It keeps in the fridge and looks great in a jar with a ribbon.
Ingredients:
- Apple cider. Use cloudy, unfiltered fresh cider, the kind sold in the produce section in fall. It has more body and apple flavor than clear apple juice. Don’t use hard cider or apple cider vinegar.
- Whole Spices–Cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice berries. Whole spices flavor the reduction without clouding it or leaving grit. Don’t use ground spices.
- Granulated sugar–dissolves and helps to create a caramel-like sauce.
- Light corn syrup. It keeps the sauce smooth and stops crystallization.
- Heavy cream: important because cream can handle high heat and even boiling; half-and-half or milk will curdle at high heat.
- Unsalted butter: for richness and a glossy finish.
- Salt. A quarter teaspoon sharpens the apple flavor and keeps the sauce from tasting flat.
- Rum: Use whatever rum you have on hand. You don’t need spiced rum here, because the spice comes from the whole spices simmered into the cider. A plain gold or dark rum adds warmth and intensifies the caramel flavor.
Step-by-step instructions:
1. Bring the cider, cinnamon stick, allspice and cloves to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook until the cider reduces to about half a cup, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the spices and discard.
2. Stir in the sugar and corn syrup.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture looks syrupy.
4. Add the cream and bring to a boil, stirring for 2-3 minutes to ensure everything is well combined. Add one tablespoon of butter and stir until melted, then add the second tablespoon along with the salt and stir until smooth.
5. Take the pan off the heat and let the sauce cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the rum, starting with 2 tablespoons and tasting before adding more. The sauce will keep thickening as it cools.
Pro-Tips:
- Measure the reduction. Pour the cider into a heatproof measuring cup to check the volume. Stop at ½ cup. Under-reduce and the sauce is thin and weak; go much further, and it can scorch before the sugar goes in.
- Butter in two additions. Adding it gradually keeps the sauce emulsified and glossy.
- Judge thickness after it cools. It looks thin in the pot and thickens a lot as it cools, and more again in the fridge. Don’t keep cooking it trying to get a thick sauce on the stove.
- Taste before the third tablespoon of rum. Rums vary a lot in strength and sweetness.
Swaps and Variations:
- Alcohol-free or kid-friendly: leave out the rum, or stir in about ¼ teaspoon rum extract and adjust to taste. Use this swap if kids are eating it.
- Other spirits: bourbon or brandy in place of rum.
- Swap the spices: a strip of orange peel or a star anise pod in the reduction.
FAQs
It’s a caramel sauce made from apple cider that’s been boiled down to concentrate its sugar and apple flavor, then cooked with sugar, cream and butter. This version adds whole spices to the reduction and a splash of rum at the end.
Ice cream first. Warm it slightly and spoon it over vanilla or butter pecan for a boozy sundae without churning a thing. It’s also good drizzled over Apple Brown Betty, an apple crisp, Apple Harvest Cake, baked apples, poached pears, panettone bread pudding or a slice of pumpkin pie.
Yes. Use about ¼ teaspoon of rum extract in place of the 2 to 3 tablespoons of rum, then taste and adjust. Extract is much stronger, so start small.
No. The rum goes in after the sauce cools, so the alcohol remains. For kids or anyone avoiding alcohol, leave the rum out or use rum extract.
No. You’re not aiming for a temperature or a soft-ball stage. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture looks syrupy.
Either the cider wasn’t reduced all the way to ½ cup, or you’re judging it hot. It thickens a lot as it cools and again in the fridge.
Make ahead:
- Make it up to 2 weeks ahead. It’s ready to go straight from the fridge.
Storage:
- Keep it in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- It firms up when cold.
Reheating:
- Microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, or warm gently in a small saucepan over low heat. Serve it warm, or straight from the fridge as a thicker spoonable sauce.
More ice cream and dessert sauces:
Spiced Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 allspice berries
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons rum
DIRECTIONS:
- Add 2 cups apple cider, 1 cinnamon stick, 3 allspice berries and 3 whole cloves to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook until the cider reduces to about ½ cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard the spices.
- Stir in ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup light corn syrup and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and syrupy. Add
- Add ¼ cup heavy cream and stir to combine. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, one tablespoon at a time, stirring until melted; then add the second tablespoon of butter and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir until the butter is melted.
- Let the sauce cool for 10-15 minutes then stir in 2-3 tablespoons rum one tablespoon at a time, tasting after each, until it's to your liking.
- Serve warm or chilled over poached or baked apples or pears, or with ice cream, fruit tarts or any other treat that needs embellishment. .
- Store in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator.
NOTES:
- No rum? Leave it out or use about ¼ teaspoon rum extract, to taste.
- Refrigerate in a glass jar or airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Rewarm in the microwave in 15-second bursts.
- Make it up to 2 days ahead. It’s ready to go straight from the fridge.
- Cider caramel sauce gets thicker and ropy when chilled.
- Serve it warm, or straight from the fridge as a thicker, spoonable sauce.
NUTRITION:
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy. Values are calculated automatically based on the ingredients and quantities in each recipe and may vary depending on specific brands, exact measurements, and substitutions made. For precise nutritional guidance, especially if you have a medical condition or dietary restriction, please consult a registered dietitian or run the ingredients through your own nutrition calculator.Pin it for later!
This looks delicious, perfect sauce. Love to put on my favorite ice cream.
You are so right, sabrina!
Apple cider, caramel and rum – this sauce is seriously made for me! Forget about giving it away, I’d make it for myself lol! And you were not kidding when you said it’s perfect with everything! I cannot wait to try this.
Yes, it’s kind of a cross between a caramel apple and a buttered rum.
this looks absolutely divine, I have a tub of vanilla ice cream that is waiting for this
I think that would work fine! Save some for me.
That is beautiful. I can taste your rum sauce now…
Sounds delicious! Can you leave the rum out or substitute with rum extract to make it more family and medication friendly? How much rum extract would you suggest if substitution is okay?
Hi Diane! You can leave the rum out altogether (though — there really isn’t much). Extracts are more concentrated – I would start with a quarter teaspoon and gradually increase from there according to your tastes.
This looks great! If I have boiled cider I bought from King Arthur Flour, can I just skip step 1 and start at step 2? This would be great on so many things!
I don’t see why not – you just want to really concentrate the flavors… I didn’t know King Arthur Flour sold boiled cider… Where did you find that?
Oh boy I need to make this beautiful sauce! I can think of a ton of ways to use it starting with a spoon! Happy holidays!
Let me know what you think of it Tricia!
What an utterly luxurious sauce ~~ I’m not sure I need anything to put it on, just hand me a big spoon 😉
A spoon would work, too!
I totally want to put this on EVERYTHING!
Why not!?
I really like the idea of gifting this over the holidays! Everyone who receives it will be thrilled.
What a wonderful sauce! I can imagine stirring this into porridge on a cold day or just drizzled over ice cream for a delicious dessert!
I approve of both uses!