Caramel Apples

Put a pot on the stove and get ready to watch it boil, it’s time to make caramel apples! Halloween is almost here, and the perfect addition to that spooky night is a delicious tart apple covered in the chewiest, creamiest caramel, and topped with all of your favorite toppings.

Caramel apples have been around since the 1950’s, as they became popular after candy apples, and this quick and simple recipe makes it easy to have a batch whipped up in no time with only a few ingredients.

The trick with this recipe is that a cold apple will help the caramel set faster so that it’s not too gooey when you go to roll it in a topping.

If you follow the guidelines for the caramel's temperature with the help of a candy thermometer, you'll end up with a caramel that is thick enough to evenly coat each apple, and by holding it upside down, you'll ensure that it will set and won't form a pool at the bottom once you set it down.

The treat? Delicious caramel covered apples topped with all of your favorite toppings: sprinkles, chopped up candy, nuts, chocolate, candy corn, and more…the possibilities are endless! Plus, you can pour the leftover caramel into a small dish and cut it into little squares for later!

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Check out My Favorite Baking Tools to see what I use when I bake.

Let's get started! Wash apples and dry thoroughly. Remove stems from apples and carefully push candy sticks into the same spot of each apple.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, space the apples out on the cookie sheet, and refrigerate. In a nonstick pot, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir and scrape the sides of the pot occasionally/stir occasionally as the mixture cooks over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes until the candy thermometer reaches 250º F.

Immediately remove from heat and carefully pour into a small heatproof bowl that is tall and narrow enough to dip the whole apple into. Let caramel cool to about 200º F until it is slightly thickened.

Remove cookie sheet from the fridge and fully immerse each apple into the bowl of caramel, rotating them in the process to ensure that they are fully covered. You may need to tilt the bowl slightly to do this.

Hold each apple upside down over the bowl of caramel for 15-20 seconds to let the caramel set, manipulating it by carefully smoothing it towards the top with a spatula where the candy stick meets the apple.

Once you have fully covered and smoothed the caramel on the apple, carefully roll the apple in smaller toppings or gently press larger toppings into the caramel. The caramel should now be warm to the touch so it is easier to add the toppings with your hands or spoon them over the top of the apple.

Place finished apple on cookie sheet and repeat the same steps with the remaining apples. Refrigerate if needed to help caramel firm up and then serve immediately. Enjoy!

Print