- Wash apples with soap & water, and make sure the apples are completely dry. The caramel sticks better if the apples are room temp.
- 3-4 bags of kraft caramels, add 2 TBS milk. Microwave a minute at a time until the caramel starts melting if it gets hard to remelt.
- Scrap the bottoms of the apple before putting on the pan so you don't get a pool of caramel at the bottom.
- Put apples on parchment paper that has been sprayed with pam.
- Let caramel on the apples set while melting the chocolate.
- Use almond bark and milk chocolate, and do a double boiler. (Skillet little water, and put saucepan to melt chocolate)
- Roll caramel apple in chocolate and scrape the bottom.
- Have toppings ready to go. Sprinkle toppings on is easier (our favorite toppings are brown sugar & cinnamon, and crushed oreo)
- The caramel apples keep in the fridge for at least a week. Enjoy!
Yummy Caramel Apple combos:
caramel dipped in melted white chocolate and rolled in a cinnamon brown sugar mix
caramel dipped in melted milk chocolate rolled in m&m's or toffee Skor bars
Easy Way:
If you decide on just buying the kraft Carmel’s from the store I usually buy 3-4 bags. Melt the Carmel’s in a large glass measuring cup (great size for dipping the apple), and put a T spoon of milk or cream with the Carmel’s. Put the microwave on 50% power, and check when the Carmel’s start to soft and watch it and check and stir often until you get the consistency you need. If this doesn’t make sense just call me.
The Homemade Way:
Homemade Caramel for Apples
from Bon Appetit, slightly adapted by ourbestbites.com
1 pound brown sugar (about 2 cups packed)
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup dark corn syrup
⅓ cup maple syrup (homemade is fine)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. molasses
¼ tsp. salt
12-medium sized apples
popsicle sticks
assorted toppings for dipping (toffee bits, chopped nuts, crushed cookies/candy
bars, etc.)
Melted chocolate in zip-top bags
Wash and dry apples, place sticks in cores and place on a baking sheet in the fridge to chill. Prepare all toppings in bowls and have them ready to go.
To prepare caramel, combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 ½ quart saucepan (at least 3-4 inches deep). Stir with wooden or silicone spatula over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush or scraping with spatula, about 15 minutes.
Attach a clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean spatula and occasionally brushing/scraping down sides of pan, about 12 minutes. Pour caramel into a bowl. Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel. Cool to 200°F, about 20 minutes. If it cools too much just heat it up a little.
While caramel cools, line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or buttered foil. (I used parchment paper). Holding stick, dip 1 apple into caramel, submerging all but the very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. If needed, gently scrape the bottom of the apple to remove excess caramel. Place coated apple on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples, spacing apples apart on parchment paper.
By the time you have dipped all the apples, the first ones should be ready to add toppings. Lift one apple from paper and press decorations into the caramel and return to the baking sheet.
If desired dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in nuts or candy. Or drizzle melted chocolate over caramel-coated apples and sprinkle with decorations. Chill until decorations are set, about one hour. Chill up to one week or wrap in cellophane bags for gift giving.
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup dark corn syrup
⅓ cup maple syrup (homemade is fine)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. molasses
¼ tsp. salt
12-medium sized apples
popsicle sticks
assorted toppings for dipping (toffee bits, chopped nuts, crushed cookies/candy
bars, etc.)
Melted chocolate in zip-top bags
Wash and dry apples, place sticks in cores and place on a baking sheet in the fridge to chill. Prepare all toppings in bowls and have them ready to go.
To prepare caramel, combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 ½ quart saucepan (at least 3-4 inches deep). Stir with wooden or silicone spatula over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush or scraping with spatula, about 15 minutes.
Attach a clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean spatula and occasionally brushing/scraping down sides of pan, about 12 minutes. Pour caramel into a bowl. Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel. Cool to 200°F, about 20 minutes. If it cools too much just heat it up a little.
While caramel cools, line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or buttered foil. (I used parchment paper). Holding stick, dip 1 apple into caramel, submerging all but the very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. If needed, gently scrape the bottom of the apple to remove excess caramel. Place coated apple on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples, spacing apples apart on parchment paper.
By the time you have dipped all the apples, the first ones should be ready to add toppings. Lift one apple from paper and press decorations into the caramel and return to the baking sheet.
If desired dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in nuts or candy. Or drizzle melted chocolate over caramel-coated apples and sprinkle with decorations. Chill until decorations are set, about one hour. Chill up to one week or wrap in cellophane bags for gift giving.
Yummy. Better and less expensive than Peter's caramel.
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