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Trust me when I say, your Friday night needs these Salted Chocolate Covered Bourbon Cider Caramels.
Not sure about you guys, but itโs been a pretty busy week over here. Itโs just that time of year I guess. I have to say Iโm looking forward to a good Friday night-in, with a side of candles (I am seriously so obsessed with candles right now) and plenty of these chocolate covered caramels.
I know, I am so predictable, homebody forever and ever. In my defense, I spent most nights this week working away, and last Friday night I was on a four and a half hour plane ride back home from NYC. So tonight calls for a chill night. In the morning itโs back to work on a super fun holiday project (which really does not feel like work, Iโm excited to shoot this). On Sunday and Monday Iโll be filming videos with Kai, then Tuesday itโs off to Cleveland. I have a quick interview onย Wednesday with a local news station (itโs actually a joint interview with my little brother, Redโฆshould be interesting), and then from there itโs off to my Nonnieโs kitchen I go, because I have thirty plus people to feed for Thanksgiving.
The flight to Cleveland alone is going to be rather, um? Eventful? My entire family, plus two girlfriends, a cousin, and Merle (the puppyโฆyes, my parents are flying with the dog), are all on the same flight. Meaning twelve Gerardโs on one plane. If you know my family then you know this is a recipe for disaster. Someone hide the mini bottles of boozeโฆ
Please.
Anyway, my point in all this rambling (sorry) is that tonight needs to involve these chocolate covered caramels. Even if your week wasnโt a hectic one (lucky), I can almost guarantee that most of you need a little chill time and a little chocolate before all the festivities that next week will bring.
Thanksgiving week is always a little hectic, so Iโm taking tonight to just breath, make chocolate, and then eat chocolate while watching a Christmas movie and smelling my new Christmas candlesโฆvery, very smart idea.
OKAY
Great! Now that weโve got our plans for the night all settled, let me actually tell you about these caramels.
Normally, caramels are not my go-to when it comes to sweets, but any time I can home make them Iโm singing a different tune. Homemade caramels, especially soft and chewy homemade caramels, are the best. Nothing can beat them.
Every holiday season I usually make some form of caramels to include in my cookie boxes that I send out to friends, family, and people I work withย (I may have missed a few last yearโฆ). I always include cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, and caramels.
Even though I make caramels every year, Iโve oddly never told you guys about themโฆuntil now that is.
I made these bourbon caramels the other week and as soon as I tried one, I knew I had to share the recipe. These are perfection in every single bite. Sweet, buttery, gooey, soft caramel, covered in semi-sweet chocolate.
SO GOOD.
I know caramel can sometimes be intimidating, but guys I promise this recipe is simple and easy. Just boil your ingredients until they turn into caramel, pour the caramel into a baking dish, let it set, cut into squares, and cover in chocolate.
Simple. The only thing I have to say is that a candy thermometer is needed. I know itโs kind of a pain if you donโt often make homemade candies, but having a thermometer just makes making this recipe a million and one times easier. It takes out all the guess-work and leaves you with perfect, soft caramels every time.
If you donโt own a candy thermometer, I have this one and love it.
Unlike classic caramels, I decided to make these with apple cider. The cider adds a nice spiced flavor to the caramel that pairs so well with the bourbon and chocolate. Itโs such a good flavor combo, and perfect for the holidays.
Once the caramels are covered in chocolate, I like to drizzle over just a little more chocolate and then sprinkle them with flaky sea salt. The drizzle of chocolate adds a little texture and the flaky sea salt is just really, really, delicious.
The best part? You can wrap these up to use as holiday giftsโฆjust be sure to double the recipeโฆbecause youโll need to save a batch for yourself.
Obviously.
Salted Chocolate Covered Bourbon Cider Caramels
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2-4 tablespoons bourbon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 16 ounces milk or semi-sweet or milk chocolate (don't use chocolate chips), melted and cooled
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. In a large saucepan, combine the apple cider, heavy cream, sugar, honey, and butter. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 244 degrees F. on a candy thermometer, about 12-14 minutes total. 3. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the bourbon and vanilla. Return to high heat and bring the mixture back up to 244 degrees F. Remove from the heat and carefully pour the caramel into the prepared baking dish. Let the caramel set up at room temperature for 4 hours or up to 1 day. 4. Lift the caramel out of the pan and cut into 2 inch squares. Place each on a parchment lined baking sheet and transfer to the freezer and freeze 20 minutes. This makes coating in chocolate easier. 5. Melt the chocolate and let cool 10-20 minutes pior to dipping. 6. Dip each caramel in melted, cooled chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining caramels. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Place the caramels in the fridge to set for 20 minutes. Store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
The most perfect chocolate bite.
PS. I hope these have you excited for whatโs to come this holiday season. I cannot wait!
P.S. – these turned out beautifully! It took quite a bit to get the candy thermometer to 244ยฐ but I was patient and when it finally happened, I did the happy dance. Great recipe! Yummy results!
Hey Lee,
Happy Monday! Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
OK, I donโt know where that message went that I just started,but I made these chocolate caramels and brought them to work and since it is lent, I will not be eating as much because I am trying to stay away from sweets at this time. Can I freeze these or should they just be left in the fridge for the next few weeks? Thank you
Hey Lee,
Yes, you can freeze these. Thanks so much for making this recipe! Have a great week!
These also didn’t set for me. Reading through the comments it appears this is a common problem. I would recommend adjusting the recipe so that the sugar caramelizes first before adding wet ingredients. I also noticed a lot of other cider caramel recipes have you reduce down the cider first? Either way I was hoping to have these for Xmas presents for the family and now it’s too late to fix. No biggie but thought I’d comment for the author so that you know the recipe may need to be adjusted!
Hi Anna,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear they did not set for you, I will take another look at the recipe!
Hi!! Do you think these will still turn out okay without adding the bourbon??
Hi Renee,
Yes, that is just fine for you to do:)
I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Followed exactly as written and they did not set. They also taste way too sweet with none of the caramel flavor youโd expect.
Hey Danielle! I’m so sorry these didn’t turn out for you! Is there anything I can do to help? xT
Hi Tieghan, would these ones freeze ok?
Yeah, definitely! xT
Absolutely delicious! I let the sugar caramelize before adding the remaining ingredients and it took about 30 minutes total (mainly because I was afraid of raising the temp too much and burning the sugar). But it set perfectly and tastes absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for another amazing recipe! โฅ๏ธ
Thanks so so much for trying out this recipe! Have a lovely day! xT
Total failure. They didn’t set up at all. I even froze them, but they oozed off the pan as they thawed. I used a candy thermometer to 244ยฐ. It was tasty but unusable.
Hi Patty,
So sorry you had trouble with this recipe, was there anything you may have adjusted or anything that I can help with? Please let me know! xTieghan
I am so excited to include these in my own cookie boxes this year! Would apple juice work in place of the cider do you think?
Hey Megan,
Yes, apple juice should be just fine to use. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I left the batch out over night and tried to get it out of the pan and it never set. It’s thick but runny
I put it in the freezer to see if I can freeze and cut this way.
Worried that the chocolate is going to melt it once I dip them smh
Hoping I didn’t waist money and this way will work
Hey Amanda,
So sorry, I guess I am confused on what went wrong here. Let me know how I can help. xTieghan
I had the same thing happen to me twice! Turned out I wasn’t letting the sugar get hot enough before adding the wet ingredients so it didn’t fully caramelize. ๐ Going to try again this year!
Being pregnant salted chocolate caramels have been my obsessions! Do you think maple syrup would work instead of honey? Canโt wait to try these! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
Hey Sydney,
Yes, maple syrup would work well here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan