Caramel Apples From Scratch

We have always made caramel apples by melting those little square caramel candies.  This year we were determined to make our caramel from scratch!  Sounds tricky?  I think it was actually easier!

I found our recipe in Taste of Home and we didn't even have a candy thermometer! If you don't have a thermometer, check out this Science of Candy article.

Carnival Caramel Apples 

(Taste of Home magazine)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• Dash salt
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 Popsicle sticks
• 10 to 12 medium tart apples, washed and dried

Directions

• In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter; add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.
• Insert Popsicle sticks into apples. Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Dip bottom of apples into peanuts, chocolate chips, crushed candies... Place on greased waxed paper until set. Yield: 10-12 apples.

Let's Make Caramel Apples!

You know those big, juicy caramel apples you can buy at fancy shops around this time of the year? Those things can run anywhere from $5 - $15 apiece and you can make something just as beautiful and delicious at home.

Let's gather our ingredients-

Choose 8 big, perfect Granny Smiths (I love the Costco Grannies in that plastic bubble container for this project):




About 40 Caramels (If you use this one, they include the sticks! Bonus!)

8 Popsicle Sticks

Semi-Sweet and White Chocolate Chips

An assortment of chopped nuts, mini-chips, mini-M&M's, sprinkles, Heath bars, etc...

Let's begin-

Melt your caramels in a pan with 4 Tbsp. of water,stirring until smooth (this is the most frustrating part).

Meanwhile, jam the blunt Popsicle sticks into the hard apple creating a sore palm and some swearing. I think the swearing actually helps the stick penetrate the apple. I don't know, I've never made these without swearing.

Prepare a cookie sheet covered with buttered plastic wrap. Arrange 8 little piles of whatever little goodies you chose (M&M's, nuts, sprinkles...). You will be setting the wet caramel apples on top of each pile to add another layer of goodness.

Once the caramels are melted, hold the apples by the stick and dip and twist your apple until it's coated. I like to tip the pan to make the caramel deeper. Continue to twirl the apple on the way up and over to the cookie sheet, and set it down on a pile of nuts, or m&m's or chocolate chips, or whatever else you dreamed up. You can kind of roll it around to embed the goodies into the caramel.

Repeat until all the apples are coated and nested in goodies. Let cool and set up.

Next, melt each of the chocolate and white chips, then place melted chocolate into two separate Ziploc baggies. Cut off the corner and squeeze each one over the caramel, nutty goodness in a messy criss cross fashion, just load it up!

See how pretty?

Get some crinkly cello wrap and a ribbon and you've got a teacher's gift to send along before Thanksgiving break.

*This post was originally published in November 2009*

Let's Make Some Fancy Schmancy Caramel Apples!

You know those big, juicy caramel apples you can buy at fancy shops around this time of the year? Those things can run anywhere from $5 - $15 apiece and you can make something just as beautiful and delicious at home.

Let's gather our ingredients-

Choose 8 big, perfect Granny Smiths (I love the Costco Grannies in that plastic bubble container for this project):




About 40 Caramels (If you use this one, they include the sticks! Bonus!)

8 Popsicle Sticks

Semi-Sweet and White Chocolate Chips

An assortment of chopped nuts, mini-chips, mini-M&M's, sprinkles, Heath bars, etc...

Let's begin-

Melt your caramels in a pan with 4 Tbsp. of water,stirring until smooth (this is the most frustrating part).

Meanwhile, jam the blunt Popsicle sticks into the hard apple creating a sore palm and some swearing. I think the swearing actually helps the stick penetrate the apple. I don't know, I've never made these without swearing.

Prepare a cookie sheet covered with buttered plastic wrap. Arrange 8 little piles of whatever little goodies you chose (m&m's, nuts, sprinkles...). You will be setting the wet caramel apples on top of each pile to add another layer of goodness.

Once the caramels are melted, hold the apples by the stick and dip and twist your apple until it's coated. I like to tip the pan to make the caramel deeper. Continue to twirl the apple on the way up and over to the cookie sheet, and set it down on a pile of nuts, or m&m's or chocolate chips, or whatever else you dreamed up. You can kind of roll it around to embed the goodies into the caramel.

Repeat until all the apples are coated and nested in goodies. Let cool and set up.

Next, melt each of the chocolate and white chips, then place melted chocolate into two separate Ziploc baggies. Cut off the corner and squeeze each one over the caramel, nutty goodness in a messy criss cross fashion, just load it up!

See how pretty?

Get some crinkly cello wrap and a ribbon and you've got a teacher's gift to send along before Thanksgiving break. An apple for the teacher can never steer you wrong!

Do you have a yummy, sweet recipe? Head on over to Fist Full of Dandelions to link up to her recipe swap party.

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