We made caramel apples this week and we had as much fun as I remember having when I was a kid. I found a recipe using caramel candies and it was easy, only slightly messy and, best of all, it sweetened up my daughters already sweet play date.
Then, I decided to try it a few days later making the caramel myself and adding some fun, Halloween inspired toppings. Both recipes resulted in delicious caramel apples.
Caramel Apples Recipe #1
Ingredients:
apples
sticks
bag of caramel candies
milk
Ask your kids to help place the sticks in the apples and put them in the refrigerator for about an hour. Your kids can also help unwrap the caramels and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Add two table spoon of milk and microwave for two minutes. (Stir after one minute.) Let your kids roll their apples in the caramel and place on a cookie tray coated with cooking spray. (I used wax paper lightly coated with butter and the wax paper stuck to the apples. So, don’t do this.) Put apples in the refrigerator for the caramel to harden. The best part is letting your kids lick the spoon and the bowl!
Caramel Apples Recipe #2 (Originally from Martha Stewart Living Magazine.)
Ingredients:
apples
sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
Combine sugar and corn syrup in a sauce pan stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Then, cover and stir occasionally until mixture turns a golden brown. (About fifteen minutes.) Slowly, stir in the cream. Pour caramel into a metal bowl and let it cool for three minutes. If mixture isn’t thick enough let it cool longer. Dip apples into caramel and let excess drip off and hand the apple to your child. (Be careful if the caramel is still hot.) Let child dip into toppings. They might need to use their hands to get the toppings on the sides of the apples. Set the apples aside to cool and harden. Devour!
We used candy corns, crushed OREOs and sprinkles as toppings. Other topping options are mini M&Ms, mini marshmallows, crushed nuts and melted chocolate. We also discovered that our youngest had trouble eating the apple so my husband got out the apple core and gave her perfect mini bites of apple with caramel.
I have to admit, the homemade caramel tasted better to me, but that might be just because I knew I made it from scratch. (And I felt a little proud.) The clean up for the recipe using caramel candies was easier and the kids could lick the bowl. (The home made caramel got hard immediately after cooling so the girls couldn’t lick the bowl.) I asked my girls which ones they liked more and the apples with crushed OREOS, candy corns and sprinkles won. Silly question, Mommy!
