Ingredients
- 12-15 granny smith apples
- gourmet toppings chopped nuts, chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon sugar, sprinkles, chopped candy or cookies
- popsicle or apple sticks
Homemade caramel:
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 lb dark brown sugar about 2 1/4 cups packed
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Wash and dry apples. Carefully poke stick straight into tops of apples. Place in fridge to chill while you make the caramel.
Homemade Caramel:
- In a large pot add sweetened condensed milk, dark brown sugar, salted butter, and corn syrup. Cook over medium to medium-high heat stirring constantly to avoid bottom from burning.
- Mixture will begin to bubble and increase in volume. Avoid scraping sides of pan as this can make the sugar in the caramel to crystallize and go "grainy." Using a calibrated candy thermometer, cook mixture to 235 degrees F or soft ball stage.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla.
- Let caramel cool slightly (5 minutes or so) before dipping apples. This will ensure you get a nice coat of caramel on the apples. The warmer the caramel, the thinner the caramel coating will be and the more it may "pool" when placed on a cooling tray.
Gourmet Caramel Apples:
- Dip each apple into the hot caramel to coat. Let excess drip off then turn slowly to allow caramel to begin to cool. If dipping or rolling in nuts, cookies or candy, do that before caramel sets and hardens.
- If adding chocolate or chocolate drizzle place caramel-coated apple onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place in the fridge to cool. Once cooled drizzle or coat with chocolate and add other toppings as desired.
- Work quickly as the caramel in the pot will begin to harden as it cools. If the caramel becomes too hard to coat apples smoothly, warm over medium heat until mixture is fluid again. Don't overheat.
- Once apples are finished and cooled completely, enjoy or wrap for gifts.
Notes
When washing apples, do not use any kind of abrasive material as this can damage or scratch the skin of the apple. Damage to the skin may cause air bubbles to form under the caramel.
If you don't have time to make homemade caramel, store-bought squares can be substituted. If using store-bought add 2-3 tablespoons cream to 1 cup caramel squares when melting to soften caramel.
Gourmet caramel apples are more easily eaten if cut up. To enjoy caramel and toppings with every bite, cut apple in a tick-tac-toe pattern which will leave the stick and core in the center and 8 pieces of apple around it.
Apples will store in the fridge for several days.