Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups apple cider
1 cup brown sugar see notes
6 Tablespoons salted butter cut into smaller chunks
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

Instructions

In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the apple cider to a boil. Continue to boil over medium high heat until reduced to about 1/2 cup. This will take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending upon the size of your pan and how high your heat is.
Stir in the sugar, butter, salt, cream, corn syrup and baking soda. Bring back to a boil. Mixture will foam up and remain foamy while it's boiling. Reduce heat a bit so that the mixture continues to boil but doesn't boil over. As long as the mixture is bubbling, you're good.
Boil for about 7-9 minutes, stirring every so often until foam begins to subside and sauce is turning a rich caramel color. Any residual foam should completely disappear after stirring.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and apple pie spice. Use immediately, or allow to cool for a thicker sauce. Allow to cool completely before storing. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes

*I used 1 cup of brown sugar, but I might try 3/4 cup next time. I accounted for the additional sweetness from the reduced apple cider, but I'd like to see if I could reduce it further.

*The corn syrup should help prevent any crystallization when storing, but if you do end up with crystals, just add a splash of milk or cream to the mixture when you reheat. The crystals will melt back into the sauce.

*I used salted butter and a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness. I didn't want to take away from the apple flavor, so I didn't add as much salt as I would in a salted caramel sauce. But, if you'd like a bit more salt, go ahead and add more to taste. I would use fleur de sel or sea salt.

*You can also adjust the spice to taste. I only used 1/4 teaspoon. Feel free to add more if you want a stronger spice flavor.

*Apple pie spice is a mixture of spices with cinnamon being the most dominant. If you don't have apple pie spice, you can just use 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and, if you have it, a dash of clove, nutmeg, ginger and/or all spice. My apple pie spice also included some cardamom.