As the season shifts from ordinary daily routines to holiday festivities, here’s a simple, elegant recipe ideal for hostess gifts—or for keeping to yourself if you prefer. This spiced cider and rum sauce takes a basic dessert and gives it a seasonal lift. Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, drizzle it on pound cake, or use it as a warm topping for poached pears or baked apples. It’s also delicious stirred into morning yogurt or oatmeal in place of honey.
Think warm spiced apple cider concentrated into a silky, buttery caramel with a gentle rum finish. The sauce has the bright apple and spice notes of cider combined with a creamy mouthfeel you expect from a rich caramel—plus that hint of rum at the end.
The method is straightforward and requires no candy thermometer. Start by reducing two cups of cider to about a half cup, which takes roughly 15–20 minutes. That concentrated cider is the foundation of the sauce.
After reducing the cider, stir in sugar and corn syrup and cook until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture becomes syrupy with a light foam on top. Adding cream and butter gives the sauce a velvety texture; a pinch of salt brightens and balances the sweetness.
Let the sauce cool for about 10–15 minutes, then stir in rum to taste. Adding alcohol after the sauce cools preserves the rum’s flavor. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Pack into half-pint jars and add a ribbon for a charming homemade gift.
Spiced Cider Rum Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 allspice berries
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- ¼ cup cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons rum
DIRECTIONS:
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Combine the apple cider, cinnamon stick, whole cloves and allspice berries in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the cider is reduced to about ½ cup. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice.
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Stir in the sugar and corn syrup; cook, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is syrupy. Add the cream and stir to combine. Add one tablespoon of butter and stir until melted, then add the second tablespoon of butter and the salt, stirring until the butter is incorporated.
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Allow the sauce to cool for 10–15 minutes, then stir in rum to taste. Serve warm or chilled over poached or baked fruit, ice cream, tarts or cakes. Store refrigerated in a glass jar or airtight container.
NUTRITION:
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