Vegan Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

By SAEB

from: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/01/apple-cider-vegan-caramel-sauce-get.html

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/2 cup vegan shortening (I used Earth Balance shortening sticks)
• 1 cup vegan dry sugar (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1-3 Tbsp corn starch (or arrowroot powder) *see variation notes above
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• Dash cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• pinch of salt (opt'l)
• 1 tsp molasses (opt'l)

Details

Adapted from kblog.lunchboxbunch.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Dissolve the corn starch into the cider.

2. Add the cider/starch to a sauce pan with the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil - stirring constantly. When the bubbling becomes intense, reduce to medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens a bit. Next, for some reason I decided to whip the caramel in my food processor for a few minutes to beat some air into it. This turned out to be a great idea. I think it really fluffed up the caramel in the end. After whipping it I reheated it for another minutes - then turned off the heat. I tried also using my foam wand (normally used for coffee) that actually seemed to work well too! An immersion blender would also work. If you don't have anything to whip the caramel with it will still turn out fine - just a bit less airy.

3. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce into a bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Once chilled, use sauce as you wish in recipes!