Let’s talk caramel apples. I am completely convinced that the person who came up with the caramel and apple combination is nothing short of a genius. It is a perfect combination of flavors. PERFECT, people! Yum, yum, YUM!
My dad signed our household (we live with him right now) up for a fresh fruit cooperative of some sort, and last week he came home with a bag of huge, delicious organic apples. They were the perfect size for dipping, and since they were straight from the farm they weren’t even waxy, so the caramel stayed on them really well.
My son and I had a great time making these caramel apples together. This isn’t a “recipe,” per se, just some tips and ideas, along with pictures of our process. Let’s get going!
First you will need to gather up the goods. Mmmm…… First and foremost you will need apples and caramels (duh). I prefer the unwrapped round caramel bits because they melt more quickly and they don’t have to be unwrapped, but I could only find one bag of them, so we ended up using some of both type of caramels. You will also need popsicle sticks. Finally, you will need whatever you want to use to “decorate” your apples. We had mini marshmallows, mint chips, toffee bits, mini chocolate chips, nuts, melted white chocolate and melted semisweet chocolate. Believe it or not, I just opened my baking cupboard and pulled all of these things out of it. I may have a sweets addiction…..
Stick the popsicle sticks into your apples. You should also prep a cookie sheet with wax paper to place the apples on immediately following dipping. [Oh, and nice bed head, kid.]
Next up is the melting of the caramel. Obviously, the stirring of the caramel on the hot stove is a grown up job, but even little fingers can help unwrap the caramels and pour the cream into the pan prior to turning on the stovetop. Yes, you read that correctly. I said cream. Mmmm…… The bag calls for water, but I used heavy whipping cream instead, because that’s just how I roll. I used about a bag and a half of caramels and 3-4 Tablespoons of cream for four huge apples and two small ones. I did have extra caramel, though, so next time I think I would only use a single bag.
Time to dip! Fun! (This is obviously another grown up job. And when grown ups are busy dipping little rascals may or may not be sneaking marshmallows to eat the entire time.)
Now the real fun begins. Let’s jazz up these bad boys! My son was super pumped to help with this part of the process, just in case you can’t tell from the pictures. (Let’s be honest, it was probably just because he was still sneaking marshmallows.)
Let them dry and eat up. YUM! Caramel apples and my mama’s pumpkin bread are by far my favorite fall treats! What are your favorite fall treats?
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