The delightful chew of this boozy caramel with it’s lovely butterscotch nuance transcends the humble apple into art. We start with browned butter, tempered with cream, add organic brown sugar & honey then finish with an exquisite addition of 151 Dark Rum by Lemon Hart & Son.

serves 6-8

• 6-8 firm, tart apples such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 2 cups honey

• 1 cup organic brown sugar (packed)

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. Bourbon Vanilla

• 2 Tbsp. 151 Rum (or bourbon, Tuacca or Grand Marnier)

In a large sauce pot over medium heat, brown the butter (it will foam up, turn a soft golden color & give off a nutty aroma). Add the cream, honey, brown sugar & salt, stir to combine. Insert a candy thermometer & bring mixture to a boil. Turn heat down to a temperature that keeps the caramel at a soft boil. For my gas range, this was low but for electric it might need medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until it reaches 260f, this should take 45-50 minutes.

In the meanwhile, prepare your apples. Remove any wax from them by giving them a dip in very hot water (5-10 seconds) & completely dry with a kitchen towel rubbing to remove any remaining residue. Insert a stick (popsicle stick, branch or wooden dowel) into the top of each apple, set aside on a sheet pan lined with parchment (you want your apples at room temperature). Prepare a bain marie by filling a medium sauce pot about half way with water & bringing it to a simmer. Place a 2 cup pyrex measuring glass (or something similar in size & depth) in the simmering water to gauge the depth, you want the water to go about half way up the cup. Adjust water as needed & remove glass. You will use this pyrex to hold your caramel for dipping. Alternately, you can use the pan the caramel cooks in to dip the apples, tilting to one side to pool the caramel so it will be deep enough to coat apples but the pyrex method is more efficient.

When caramel reaches 255-260f remove from heat & stir down. Stir in vanilla & rum & allow to cool to 180f. Fill the pyrex 2/3 full with hot caramel & place in simmering water to prevent the caramel from setting up to quickly, turn off the burner, your water is hot enough at this point. Dip each apple into the caramel, tilting the apple if necessary to cover, pull out slowly, allowing excess to drip back into pyrex. Place on parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat with remaining apples. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the caramel to set up.

Chef Notes: One usually thinks of bourbon in connection with caramel but we opted to go with 151 Rum by Lemon Hart & Son. We found that it’s rich, molasses character, accentuates the butterscotch. We will be featuring this rum in upcoming fall cocktails as well.

Pro Tips.

• Make certain your apples have no trace of wax left on them as this will inhibit the caramels ability to stick to the apple.

• Some caramels are not stirred during the cooking process. That is not the case with this one, stir frequently.

• For your caramel, you are looking for the perfect consistency. It needs to be cooked long enough to set up properly on the apple but still possess the perfect chewy quality that we desire. This is achieved with temperature. The sweet spot for this caramel is 255-260f. If you do not have a candy thermometer, you could almost wing it with perfect timing, 45-50 minutes. But for optimal results we recommend you use a candy thermometer.

• Cool your caramel to 180f before dipping apples. If the caramel is to hot, it will slide right off your apples. Very disheartening.

• Double dipping. The apples shown above were double dipped as I prefer a thick coat of caramel. This requires refrigerating the apples long enough to allow the caramel to set up (20 minutes or so) while keeping the rest of the caramel warm. Although I pulled it off, I did so with difficulty therefor I would not recommend it for this recipe. This particular caramel really wants to set up. It does not like to be rewarmed or reworked.

• These Rum & Butterscotch Apples are complete within themselves, however if you desire a little more flourish, here are some recommendations. After the caramel has completely set you may dip the bottom half of apples in melted dark chocolate then roll in chopped, toasted walnuts. Or give them a light dusting of Fleur de Sel. You can purchase clear boxes for gifting your gourmet apples.

• If you have any caramel left over, pour it into a parchment lined container, refrigerate allowing it to set up & cut into individual caramels. You can then dip them in dark chocolate or scatter some Fleur de Sel over the top of them. Wrap each piece in parchment & tie of with festive string or twine. You could also make a lovely gift basket by placing them a purchased tea cup with an assortment of teas.