How To Make Easy Caramel Apples Step
Great Apple Dessert Recipes
Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler – You only need 2 ingredients to make this dessert casserole.
Apple Cider Donut Cake – This fall dessert tastes like an apple cider donut from an apple orchard.
Apple Cider Cookies – Bite size pieces of fresh apples make these cookies so moist and delicious.
Apple Pie Dumplings – You will not believe how easy these are to make and how good they taste.
Bisquick Apple Cobbler – All you need is a few ingredients and you have an epic cobbler dessert.
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What Makes The Perfect Caramel Apple
Hypothetically, caramel apples are nothing more than flawless seasonal produce paired with the simplest homemade candy. Done right, they’re a study in contrast, every juicy bite of apple offset by the earthy richness of caramel, sophisticated in its composition but presented humbly on a stick.If only the reality were always so grand. All too often, ginormous apples derail the fruit-to-caramel ratio and force you to unhinge your jaw like a snake to manage that first bite. Then your teeth are plunged into icy-cold fruit, locked in place by caramel so chewy it entails a full-body workout. And when that caramel starts to feel like wax on your tongue, you know you’ve been given a mouthful of corn syrup and palm oil instead of the real deal.
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How To Store Caramel Apples
If youre looking to gobble up these sweet treats right away, let the apples stand until the caramel is set, about 10 minutes. Or, you can refrigerate them for a week or sojust be sure to take them out of the fridge 10 to 15 minutes prior to eating so the caramel can soften a bit. However, avoid leaving homemade caramel apples out on the counter overnight.
If you want to wrap the caramel apples to give them as gifts, let the caramel set in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before wrapping.
How To Melt Chocolate
You can melt the chocolate either on the stove or in the microwave.
- On the stove: Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then, turn the heat to low and place a medium heatproof bowl on the mouth of the pot. Make sure that there is a gap of a few inches in between the bottom of the bowl and the water . Add the chocolate and stir constantly as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted. This should take a few minutes.
- In the microwave: The second way to melt chocolate is in the microwave. Place the medium heatproof bowl of chocolate into the microwave and microwave in 30 second intervals. Remove the bowl at each interval and stir well. Repeat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir until completely smooth.
Set aside the decorated apples back on the parchment paper lined pan and let toppings harden fully.
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What Does The Caramel Taste Like
My salted caramel is perfect for garnishing desserts, filling cakes, and as a dip for apple slices. However, its not suitable for coating apples because its too thin and wont set properly its missing corn syrup and the proper sugar to fat ratio.
The homemade caramel well use for caramel apples is soft, chewy, buttery, a little taffy-like, and adheres to the apple easily. If applied lightly, the caramel wont pool down at the bottom of the apple. Lets break down the ingredients you need for homemade caramel coating and why each are imperative to the taste and texture. Cooking candy is actual chemistry, so theres no room for substitutions.
How Do I Add Toppings
To keep this post focused on the caramel for apples, I made a separate post for the caramel apple recipes with all of the details about to make gourmet apples with various kinds of toppings and coatings.
- Dirt n Worms Caramel Apple: A crunchy apple coated with caramel and white chocolate dipped in crushed Oreos and topped with a gummy worm.
- Apple Pie Cheesecake Caramel Apple: This apple is covered caramel and then dipped in white chocolate and coated with crushed graham crackers, brown sugar, and apple pie spices.
- Tiger Butter Caramel Apple: A granny smith apple that is first covered in caramel and then white chocolate with a chocolate and peanut butter swirl
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How To Make Caramel Apples:
- Prepare apples: Rinse and thoroughly dry apples with a paper towel. Insert a caramel apple stick into center of each apple. Have toppings ready if youll be adding some to apples.
- Prepare pan to rest apples on: Line a 13 by 9-inch baking sheet or baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper, spray parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray, set in the fridge.
- Add caramels and cream to bowl: Place caramels and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl .
- Melt in microwave: Heat in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring well between intervals, until melted and smooth. This will take about 2 3 minutes. If its extra runny let it cool just briefly so caramel doesnt run right off the apples.
- Dip apples in caramel, roll in toppings: Dip apples one at a time into caramel on an angle so it covers nearly to the top center . Rotate and turn to coat apple.
- Lift apple and let excess caramel run off, then run bottom of apple along inside edge of bowl to remove excess caramel.
- Lift apple and turn apple upside down to let caramel run up the apple a little, then immediately roll in toppings before caramel sets.
- Repeat process: Turn apples upright and place on prepared baking sheet in fridge, repeat process with remaining apples. As needed reheat caramel in microwave in 15 second increments for a runny, dip-able consistency.
- Let caramel set in fridge: Allow caramel to set completely, about 30 minutes in the fridge . Cut apples into slices just when ready to enjoy so they dont brown.
Werther’s Original Classic Caramel Apples
Yield: 4 servings
| Werthers Original Soft Caramels, upwrapped |
| 1 |
Wash and dry apples.Insert one popsicle stick in the core of each apple.Place caramels and milk in a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring frequently until smooth, about 2 minutes.Dip apples in melted caramel mixture using a spoon to cover. For best results, let melted caramel cool for a few seconds before dipping.Place on waxed paper until caramel sets or refrigerate 15 minutes for quicker results.
Optional: For extra indulgence, press the bottom of caramel-dipped apple into chopped peanuts, crushed cookies, or your favorite topping. To finish, drizzle melted chocolate over apples. Enjoy!
Please note that some ingredients and brands may not be available in every store.
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How To Cut A Caramel Apple
We prefer to cut our homemade gourmet caramel apples for easier sharing and eating. Not that we have any difficulty eating one caramel apple in one sitting, mind you. But more because we want to try all the different flavor creations we come up with!
Use a large, sharp knife to slice the apple on each side of the stick, taking care to avoid the core. Then rotate the apple a quarter turn and slice on either side of the stick again to section the apple into 8 pieces.
It’s so much easier to eat caramel apple slices rather than attempting to bite into them whole!
Tips For The Best Caramel Apples
- Remove Wax if your apples are store bought, you will need to remove the wax so the caramel sticks better to the apple. Dip the apple in hot water for a few seconds then thoroughly dry with a towel.
- Dry Apples make sure apples are completely dry before dipping in wax.
- Chill skewered apples Once apples are skewered, refrigerate while you melt the caramels. Caramel will firm up quickly on a chilled apple so the caramel doesnt pool at the bottom.
- Have toppings ready youll need to apply toppings as soon as the caramel is on the apple since it will firm up quickly, especially if you are working with cold apples.
- Refrigerate coated apples for at least 15 minutes to help the caramel set quickly without sagging. Youll want to refrigerate before applying any melted chocolate topping.
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What Kind Of Apples Work Best
For caramel apples you want an apple that is firm, tart, and crisp. Tart apples will especially help balance the sweetness of the caramel. Granny Smith, Jonagold, Cortland, Fuji, and Empire apples all work well.
For more information on which apple varieties are best for baking, check out our Guide to Apples.
That said, feel free to experiment! If you have a favorite apple that you think will work well with caramel, try it, and let us know how it works for you in the comments.
How To Make Soft Caramel Candies From Leftover Caramel
If you have leftover caramel, most likely you will, you can make awesome homemade soft caramel candies. Just pour the leftovers onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Then place it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes.
Once cooled remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board, but keep the caramel on the parchment paper. Cut up the caramel into little squares. If the caramel is too hard to cut, allow it to warm up a bit at room temperature and it will soften nicely.
You can wrap the homemade soft caramel candies with caramel candy wrappers, little pieces of parchment paper, or just leave as is. Just dont stack them, they will stick to each other.
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Easy Caramel Apple Dump Cake
We are huge fans of dump cake recipes! They are so easy to make and always taste amazing.
I try to keep the ingredients on hand just in case we want to whip up a dump cake for dessert.
We have made pumpkin dump cake, lemon dump cake, apple spice dump cake, cherry dump cake, and we are working on a peach dump cake.
Easy dump cake recipes make life so sweet and easy! I love that you can take a box of cake mix and turn it into the perfect sweet treats.
During the summer when we don’t feel like turning the oven on we make slow cooker dump cakes. All the sweet dessert goodness without the heat in the house.
The only thing you need to do is evenly distribute the ingredients, bake, and enjoy!
Optional Toppings – a scoop of Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, cinnamon, chopped pecans or your favorite nuts.
Cake Mix – We use a yellow cake mix but you can easily substitute and make this with a spice cake mix or a white cake mix. A different cake mix will change up the flavor so make sure it pairs well with caramel and apples.
Caramel Bits– If you don’t have caramel bits you can cut caramel squares into half and use those or pour caramel sauce over the apples.
Apples – We used canned apple pie filling but you could use fried apples or homemade apple pie filling. If you decide to use fresh apples make sure they are chopped into small cubes so they bake evenly.
Tips And Tricks For The Best Caramel Apples
- Remove the wax coating: Apples from the store often have a wax coating on them which should be removed before attempting to coat them in caramel. To remove, dip the apples in boiling water mixed with a splash of vinegar for a few seconds, remove and thoroughly dry.
- Make sure apples are dry: Caramel will stick to apples best if the fruit is dry and at room temperature.
- Leave a little space near the top: Don’t completely submerge your apples in the caramel. The apples will naturally out-gas near the stem, and if they are covered with caramel, bubbles will form.
- Doubling this recipe: This recipe will double easily. If you do that, use a 4-quart pot to make the sauce.
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Life Hack: Wax Paper Vs Baking Paper
While the caramel apples are setting in the fridge, most recipes ask you to place them on wax paper. But, can you use unwaxed or parchment paper? Wax paper is used for cold foods and baking paper is for hot foods. Wax paper is hard to find here in Australia, so here is a bit of life hack.
If you only have baking paper or parchment paper, spray the surface with cooking spray. This allows you to place the Caramel Apples with minimal sticking. So don’t rush out to buy extra wax paper.
Gourmet Homemade Caramel Apples
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Gourmet Homemade Caramel Apples are easy and fun to make! The sweet, buttery caramel is perfect with crisp, tart Granny Smith apples, and you can decorate them with as many crunchy, chewy, nutty or crispy toppings as you want!
Love all things caramel? Be sure not to miss our Easy Caramel Pecan Brownies and Homemade Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns!
You know those huge, fabulous gourmet caramel apples at Disneyland? Those stunning orbs of caramel & chocolate with nuts & candy never fail to lure me in when I’m walking past the candy shop on Main Street.
The scent of that fresh caramel is possibly the most incredible aroma on earth. They are one of my favorite Disney treats along with the Jolly Holiday Raspberry Rose Macarons.
When Paul and I were dating back in college, one of our favorite things to do was go to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and buy a caramel apple to share. It was a splurge for us because we were broke undergrads, but totally worth it!
But even a delicious gourmet caramel apple is nothing compared to a fresh, made-from-scratch homemade caramel apple. Plus, you can make an entire batch of this easy caramel apples recipe for the price of just one apple from a candy shop!
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How Do You Keep Caramel From Sliding Off Apples
You can store the caramel apples in the refrigerator for 2-3 days but we found that they were the best when eaten the same day that we made them.
How To Make Homemade Caramel Apples
Now that you have your ingredients, lets make caramel apples. First, rinse and dry the apples. Apples have a waxy coating that will prevent the caramel from sticking, so its important to wash and dry it off. Make sure the apples are cold, which helps prevent the caramel from slipping off.
Pull out the apples stem and insert a caramel apple stick.
For the caramel, cook the first 5 ingredients on the stove until the candy reaches 235°F , known as the Soft Ball Stage in candy cooking terms. Reaching 235°F should take about 15 20 minutes, though dont use the time as your stopping point because it really depends on your stove electric stoves may take a little longer than gas stoves. But you wont mind waiting because this caramel smells INCREDIBLE as it cooks. Some readers have been cooking to 240°F and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F 240°F.
Remove caramel from heat, then stir in the vanilla. Allow caramel to cool for a few minutes, then dip your apples. Let the excess caramel drip off, then place on a nonstick surface such as a silicone baking mat lined baking sheet.
Enjoy immediately or let the caramel set, about 45 minutes. Once set, you can wrap the caramel apples in cellophane for travel or gifting. Stand the apples in these adorable cellophane bags, then wrap the cellophane around the stick with a cute ribbon. Sweetest homemade gift around.
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