If fall had a flavor, I think it would be caramel apples! Where I live, fall is the season for festivals and nothing beats a gooey, crisp caramel apple straight from a food booth. Here, I’m going to teach you exactly how I make caramel apples with the perfect caramel consistency. It’s not hard, but I have to admit it can get a little messy! Trust me, these apples are worth scraping the caramel off your stovetop for a few days.
What You’ll Need:
- 7 or 8 cold apples (the type of apple is up to you – we like Granny Smith apples)
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup salted butter (at room temp)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Prepping the Apples
Wash the apples thoroughly to remove any waxy coating (this can interfere with the caramel sticking to the apple). Go ahead and put the sticks in your apples. I like to use skewer sticks cut down to approximately 5-6 in.
2. Prepare the Caramel
Use a heavy, deep sauce pan that can withstand ongoing high heat. The depth of the pan is important because you want to be able to easily dip and coat your apples, which is difficult if your pan is too shallow.
Melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk.
*Pro-tip: rub the stick of butter along the inner wall of your sauce pan to prevent contents from boiling over.
After that, prepare to exercise your patience as you wait for the mixture to boil. Once it’s bubbling, grab your candy thermometer and stir until it hits 240°F. Once it reaches 240, take the pot off of the heat and add in the vanilla extract.
3. Dip the Apples
Tilt the pot if needed and begin dipping the apples. Twirl them around to make sure they are coated in caramel. Let any excess drip off if possible. Set the apples on a buttered sheet of wax paper to cool.
4. Add Toppings
While the caramel is still warm, roll the apples in any desired toppings – crushed nuts, sprinkles, etc. You can even allow the caramel to harden and then dip them in melted chocolate.
5. Let them cool
Allow your apples at least 30 minutes to cool off. I also recommend cleaning up any stray caramel as soon as possible as it will only get more difficult to scrape up!
Tips & Tricks
- Tart apples (such as Granny Smith) work well as they contrast nicely with the caramel flavor
- Caramel apples can be wrapped in plastic or cellophane for storage.
- Remember to use parchment paper for apples to dry on.
What are your best caramel apple tips? Tell us in the comments!