Caramel Apples

Helga Glaesel de BlandingOctober 14, 2010

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

I’ve been making caramel apples for years, they’re my mom’s favorite Halloween treat. To make them, I use the small “lady apples”, using regular sized apples is just too much! This is the exact same recipe I have always used, the result is a thick, but pourable caramel that is easy to work with when coating the apples. It does harden to a very chewy, toffee-like consistency…. Teeth, beware!

Make sure the apples are at room temperature, and not out of the fridge! This is very important. If the apples are cold, they will sweat and the caramel WILL NOT stick.

For a little extra touch, after dipping the apples in the caramel, you can coat them with chopped nuts, or drizzle them with melted chocolate.

Making the caramel requires the use of a clip-on candy thermometer, which should be tested for accuracy before starting. Attach it to the side of a medium saucepan of water, and boil the water for three minutes. The thermometer should register 212°F if it doesn’t, take the difference into account when reading the temperature.

Helga

Caramel Apples

12 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup dark corn syrup
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
12 chopsticks
12 medium Granny Smith apples
whipping cream (if necessary)

Procedure:

Combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 ½-quart saucepan (about 3 inches deep). Stir with wooden spatula or spoon over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 15 minutes.
Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean wooden spatula and occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 12 minutes. Pour caramel into metal bowl (do not scrape pan). Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel; cool, without stirring, to 200°F, about 20 minutes.
While caramel cools, line 2 baking sheets with foil; butter foil. Push 1 chopstick into stem end of each apple.
Holding chopstick, dip 1 apple into 200°F caramel, submerging all but very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. Place coated apple on prepared foil. Repeat with remaining apples and caramel, spacing apples apart (caramel will pool on foil). If caramel becomes too thick to dip into, add 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream and briefly whisk caramel in bowl over low heat to thin.
Chill apples on sheets until caramel is partially set, about 15 minutes. Lift 1 apple from foil. Using hand, press pooled caramel around apple; return to foil. Repeat with remaining apples.