Caramel Frosting

If you’re a fan of caramel (and I really think you ought to be), I think you’ll enjoy learning about Liddabit Sweets, the candy company where I currently intern. I’ve been spending a few days a week with the Liddabit girls, measuring out ingredients, stirring pots of boiling sugar, tempering chocolate (and then dipping things in it!),

molding lollipops, twisting caramels into wrappers,

coating fresh apples in soft, salted caramel,

and, on the weekends, selling the bundles of various deliciousness to people at the Brooklyn Flea and New Amsterdam Markets. Sweets for the sweet, and all that.

It’s pretty awesome. Not only is all of the candy handmade with local ingredients, it’s also cute and clever and, most importantly, downright delicious.

It’s so caramelly.  And chocolately.  And lollipopish.

Yum.

Caramel Frosting
Adapted from Bon Appetit

This isn’t a Liddabit recipe, but I recently used this rich caramel to frost cupcakes, and I think, given it’s thick, smooth consistency, it would be pretty delightful as a coating for fresh fall apples. Just stick a thick bamboo skewer in your favorite apple (Jonagold and Honeycrisp are good choices), make this caramel and dip away. The cream cheese in the recipe is pretty unorthodox, but it gives the caramel a slight, subtle tang, which, incidentally, is surprisingly lip smacking.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 Tbsp sea salt

Directions:

Whisk whipping cream and cream cheese in small bowl until smooth.

Combine sugar and water in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high; boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally swirling the pan, about 10 minutes. Once the sugar has turned a nice, caramelly amber, slowly and carefully whisk in cream cheese mixture (caramel mixture will bubble vigorously). Add butter; whisk until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat; cool caramel about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Stir in sea salt. Use for dipping caramel apples or frosting your favorite cake.

Makes about 4 cups caramel frosting.