Checked on-line and found this:
Sugar goes through a heating process until it caramelizes to make caramel candy. Although you cannot make real caramel without sugar, you can substitute your typical sucrose table sugar for sweeteners that have lower glycemic levels and fewer calories. The glycemic index of a sugar determines how quickly it affects your blood sugar levels. Low glycemic foods reduce stress on your digestive system. Agave or maltitol sweetener can serve as a substitute for sugar in a caramel recipe. Agave comes from a cactus plant, while maltitol is a sugar alcohol made from starch. Both have the ability to caramelize when heated, and have lower glycemic levels and calories.
Don't know if any of these will be much lower in syns than regular sugar.
Actually, just checked again and found this:
Sugar Free Toffee Apples
This is a straight forward recipe for sugar free toffee apples. It can be great fun for children to make with adults but do remember the hot liquid will burn terribly if spilled on the skin.
Ingredients:
- Six tbs granulated sweetener (remember to check the manufacturer’s instructions)
- Three tbs water
- One tbsp white vinegar
- Four apples
- Four toffee apple sticks
Place your granulated sweetener, water and vinegar in a medium saucepan and stir over a low heat until dissolved. Bring to the bring and leave to bubble. Every so often take a small amount on the end of a tsp and drop into a glass of cold water. When the toffee sets hard it is ready to use. Wash your apples and remove the stalks. Going from top to bottom, press a stick through the centre of each apple, to create a giant lollipop. With the stick in your hand, dip each apple into the toffee, making sure the whole fruit is completely covered. Stand the toffee apples on a lightly greased baking sheet (apples down) and leave to cool on the side. When cool, place in the fridge over night. The toffee apples are now ready to eat or to wrap in cling film, tie with a ribbon and store or present as a gift.