caramel apples party!

Caramel apples make me HAPPY! And making them myself makes me even happier! I remember the days of going to the county fair in small town Indiana. It was so hard to decide between the caramel apples & the cotton candy for my one allowed treat. I love them both but I always chose the caramel apple. It was an annual celebration I just couldn't resist & I got it with chopped peanuts.

Caramel apples are super easy with a few helpful hints & fun to make. My talented friend, Kelly, talked me through the process the first time I made them; thanks Kelly, and I’m excited to share it with you! I buy THIS caramel & it is thick, buttery, smooth, creamy perfection! I highly recommend it!

Caramel Apples

ingredients:

20-24 small apples (I use granny smiths)
5 lbs. Peter’s Caramel

2 lbs. good quality melting milk chocolate

2 lbs. white chocolate or candy coating

Toppings of choice: peanuts, cashews, crushed oreos, crushed Butterfingers, mini m&m’s, sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, etc.

Wooden apple sticks, they are about the size of a #2 pencil

directions:
1. Wash apples with warm water & a bit of soap, rinse & dry very well. This is to remove the wax so the caramel will stick well. Insert sticks into the core of the apple. Refrigerate apples for at least an hour. This will help the caramel set up quickly on the apples when you dip them instead of sliding down your apples & making a puddle at the bottom.
2. Cut off about ¼ of the caramel & melt it in a microwave safe bowl or in a saucepan on the stove. I use a 2 cup glass measuring cup in the microwave. Melt on low setting stirring very often until melted. Melt additional caramel as needed.3. Dip apples in caramel, slowing turning them. I like my apples completely covered in caramel. After completely submerging, hold apple stick at 90 degree angle from bowl & allow apple to drip over bowl while turning for a few seconds to remove excess caramel. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow to set up for an hour or more. Apples can be refrigerated after dipping to speed up the process. Notice that there are no puddles of caramel around the bottoms of my apples. That's because my apples were clean & cold when I dipped them.
4. Melt milk chocolate or white chocolate, tempering if necessary. I prefer chocolate that doesn’t need tempering. Follow same process as caramel dipping & dip caramel apples into milk chocolate or white chocolate. Immediately & quickly roll chocolate dipped caramel apple into desired toppings. The chocolate sits up quickly so don’t delay.

5. After dipping in toppings, drizzle apples with additional melted chocolate. I put my chocolate in a piping bag with a small frosting tip for drizzling or you can use a zip lock sandwich bag with a small hole or just drizzle chocolate with a fork.

I tied them up with spooky ribbon in cellophane bags & gave them all away...except that one with chopped peanuts...mmm...even better than the fair!