Vegan Fruit Juice Caramel

Rarely do I buy fruit juice anymore. The concentration of sugar from even fresh squeezed juices is astronomical, and I try to stay away from unnecessary fructose. That being said, I found myself with some extra apple cider the other day. As I stumbled upon this recipe from Civilized Caveman I thought it was worth a try. The results are a caramel like texture, with the strong taste of apples. It's so sweet though I hardly recommend eating it a la carte. This would make a nice substitute for honey in some scd recipes.


4 cups apple juice
2 Tbsp coconut oil
salt

Bring apple juice to a low boil and let it simmer for about an hour, until the texture gets to be like honey. Let the juice then simmer for about another 30 minutes to an hour, stirring every so often to make sure it does not burn. Once it is the thickness you desire let it cool. Then add the coconut oil and salt to taste.

The original recipe calls for a lot less simmer time, but honestly it takes a very long time for the juice to thicken, even at a rolling boil.

Word of caution: if you do not wait for the thickened juice to cool and add the oil, the oil will end up on the top of the "caramel,"separated.