C – I love caramel apples … but,
I didn’t know how hard they were to make. If you don’t prep the apples correctly, the caramel doesn’t stick well. You have to make sure that the wax is off the apples. If you make the caramel too thick, the caramel apples will weigh a lot. If you eat an entire caramel apple, you might have a mouth full of cavities after just one.
Oh, there are so many issues with making caramel apples. Why did we decide on making these? I blame Jim. Yup. It was his idea. Yup, I am calling him out for coming up with this idea. I should have said no … I didn’t.
First things first. Dip the apples in hot water for a few seconds. Make sure not to leave the apples in the hot water for too long. The apples will get soft, overcooked on the outside and the peel will be discolored. Just use enough water to wipe off the wax. I tried using just really hot water from the sink. It didn’t work. I had to boil the water to get the wax off. Of course, if you have a chance to get organic apples from the Farmer’s Market or, even better, at an apple orchard, you might get some without wax. The grocery store ones usually have wax.
The caramel I made was a bit thicker than I wanted. I think next time I will take it off the heat 10 degrees before it reaches the right point. It was a thick, scary, hot mess when it was time to put the apples in. It’s definitely not good when Jim is shooting pictures.
These turned out OK. Next time I think I will do things differently. Luckily they turned out alright. The toppings made the day for me. All the toppings really cover the mistakes.
| Halloween Week: Caramel Apples |
- 6 Granny Smith apples
- 6 thick bamboo sticks
- 2 cups, packed, light brown sugar
- 1¾ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup dark corn syrup
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- Toppings of your choice (mini m&m’s, sliced almonds, nuts, chocolate chips, etc)
- Wash the apples under hot water, or dip briefly in boiling water, to get off any wax coating. Wipe dry thoroughly.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Set the apples stem side up, and push the sticks down into the apple cores. Wet aside.
- Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water.
- Combine the remaining ingredients (except toppings) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Cook until the mixture registers 240°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
- Immediately dip the bottom of the saucepan in the ice water bath and let it chill until the bubbles have subsided, about 1 minute.
- Stir until stiff caramel from the bottom is incorporated into the warm caramel on top. Remove from the water bath.
- Dip the apples one at a time into the caramel, rotating once to coat ¾ of the way up the sides.
- Lift the apple straight up from the caramel, letting the excess drip back into the pot until the drips have slowed, about 10 to 15 seconds.
- Dip in topping of your choice.
- Flip the apple so the stem is facing downward and let the caramel set, about 10 to 15 seconds more. Place on the prepared baking sheet, stem side up, and repeat with the remaining apples. (If the caramel gets too hard to coat the apples well, set the pan over low heat and rewarm, stirring constantly, until the caramel is loose and pourable.)
- Refrigerate the apples until set, at least 10 minutes.
- The apples can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
Taste test. Delicious. But please share with people. Don’t eat this by yourself. It’s really sweet. I love the chewy caramel with the sour apple taste. There is a little salty flavor which helps the sweetness.
This really brought me back to my childhood. I just didn’t think it was going to be so hard to make. Now I know. I still won’t give up trying to make pretty caramel apples. At least these tasted great.