Homemade Caramel Apples
prep 15 min.
ready 1 hr. 15 min.
serves 8-9
Having grown up spending my summers in northern Michigan, I have developed a taste for quality fudge and caramel. That is why northern Michigan summer residents and tourists are known as “fudgies.” I have loved caramel apples for as long as I can remember. I love them even more smothered in pecans and sprinkled with ground sea salt. They are easy to make. Halloween seemed like the perfect day to make them. I think the last time we had a caramel apple was from a fudge shop in northern Michigan, and they charged $10 per apple. Yikes! At the time it was well worth it, though, since we cut it up and shared it with family.
I have been making homemade caramel for a long time. However, the last two times I had an epic fail because my temperature was not exact. Making any type of candy IS A SCIENCE, and if you do not do it correctly you will fail. My wife, a teacher, says it’s important to learn from your mistakes, and then try again. I learned that temperature is everything. Typically, the caramel hardens so you can cut and wrap the candy. If not, it is too soft and could be used as caramel sauce, or is burned and has a burned flavor. The temperature is extremely important when making the caramel. This time I used a new recipe that uses heavy cream rather than half and half. It worked well for coating the apples. I was pleased with the results.
The tart apples I had available were purchased from Hill Brothers‘ Farm in NW Grand Rapids. I love their apples, and I especially enjoy their award-winning cider. One thing I have learned recently from making caramel apples is to first wash them and remove the wax on the outside of the apple. I boiled mine for 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water then gave them a good rub with a paper towel. It works best if you use a firm, crisp apple so it does not get too soft after boiling. I have learned that if you do not do this, the caramel will slide off the apple after a couple of hours. Getting that wax off really helps.
Ingredients
• 7–9 crisp apples (I like tart.)
• 1 and 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar (I used light.)
• 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups pecans, broken (optional)
• 1 tsp. sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and dip the apples for 30 seconds removing the wax coating. I found that using a slotted spoon helped to remove them from the boiling water as they bob up and down.
2. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. I gave it a light spray with cooking spray to help prevent the caramel from sticking to the paper. Remove the stem from the apple and insert the wooden stick about 1 inch inside.
3. In a 3-4 quart pan, mix the cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt.
4. Insert a candy thermometer (a must) in your pan, and stir over medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. It will bubble up when cooking. Stir it continuously. You do not want to burn the mixture. The key number to remember is 240 degrees. That is the temperature of hardball candy. That is when you remove the pan from the heat. You also want to keep the temperature consistent. Do not raise or lower the heat. Also, do not move the pan on and off the burner.
5. Remove the pan and stir in the vanilla extract. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes. You can give a little stir but not too much or it will result in bubbles in your sauce.
6. Hold the apple stick. Tilt the pot of caramel to the side, and swirl each apple in the sauce. If you want to add toppings, such as nuts, dip the apple into a bowl of finely chopped nuts. Then place it on the lined baking sheet while the caramel is setting. I love pecans, but you could use peanuts or walnuts, etc…
7. To serve the apples, you can eat them off the stick as soon as you make them or let them completely set which takes about an hour. I prefer to slice them because then you can share them,and they seem to be less messy to eat. Either way, they are pretty awesome. They are a perfect fall dessert.
Homemade caramel apples
Ingredients
- 7-9 apples crisp
- 1 ¾ heavy cream
- 1 cup corn syrup light
- 2 cups brown sugar light or dark
- 4 Tbs. butter unsalted, room temperature
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract pure
- 2 cups pecans broken (optional)
- 1 tsp. sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to boil and dip the apples for 30 seconds removing the wax coating. I found that using a slotted spoon helped to remove them from the boiling water as they bob up and down.
-
Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. I gave it a light spray with cooking spray to help prevent the caramel from sticking to the paper. Remove the stem from the apple and insert the wooden stick about 1 inch inside.
-
In a 3-4 quart pan, mix the cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt.
-
Insert a candy thermometer (a must) in your pan, and stir over medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. It will bubble up when cooking. Stir it continuously. You do not want to burn the mixture. The key number to remember is 240 degrees. That is the temperature of hardball candy. That is when you remove the pan from the heat. You also want to keep the temperature consistent. Do not raise or lower the heat. Also, do not move the pan on and off the burner.
-
Remove the pan and stir in the vanilla extract. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes. You can give a little stir but not too much or it will result in bubbles in your sauce.
-
Hold the apple stick. Tilt the pot of caramel to the side, and swirl each apple in the sauce. If you want to add toppings, such as nuts, dip the apple into a bowl of finely chopped nuts. Then place it on the lined baking sheet while the caramel is setting. I love pecans, but you could use peanuts or walnuts, etc…
-
To serve the apples, you can eat them off the stick as soon as you make them or let them completely set which takes about an hour. I prefer to slice them because then you can share them, and they seem to be less messy to eat. Either way, they are pretty awesome. They are a perfect fall dessert.
