Homemade Caramel Apples
My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE Caramel.. Caramel apples, caramel popcorn, hot caramel drizzled over ice cream, heck they eat it by the spoonful. I personally would pick hot fudge on a sundae any day over caramel, But caramel apples was the request so here it is.
Most of my kids like the apples covered in nuts.. If you have a nut allergy or just don’t like nuts you can keep them plain or coat in chocolate chips, toasted coconut, crushed pretzels, chocolate m&m’s, slivered almonds, dried fruit or even kosher salt for a more sophisticated caramel apple. My son requested his “without nuts & sprinkles”
These make a great holiday gift. Just place in a cello bag and tie a bow around the top.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 Popsicle or craft sticks or chopsticks
- 8 medium tart apples, washed and dried
- 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup and milk. Keep whisking until the sugar has melted and mixture comes to a boil. Lightly boil and keep whisking until it comes to a soft ball stage or desired consistency.
- Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.
- Insert Popsicle/Craft sticks into apples. Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Dip bottom of apples into peanuts. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and Refrigerate for 2 hrs.
You can use a craft sticks, lollipop sticks, popsicle sticks or Chopsticks work great as well and I always have those in a kitchen drawer from leftover Chinese takeout.
Here is a BIG tip for making the toppings stick to the caramel – Quickly after you dip the apples into the toppings, place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and placed in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Store leftover caramel in the refrigerator. Use on apples, pour over popcorn, top your ice cream or just eat it be the spoon.
