Food Fun Friday--Caramel Apples

Oh, I love caramel apples. Considering the number of pieces of caramel, or even those pre-made caramel wraps that you can buy, are only around 150 calories, I think it's well-worth the extra half hour of walking you have to do to burn off those calories (or the 12 oz Dr Pepper you sacrifice) for the yummy treat.

During NaNoWriMo, I made a batch to keep my writing strength up and boy, was it worth it, even if I messed up and used wax paper when I should have used parchment paper. So, I figured, what better way to close out 2012 than with a sweet treat. LOL

Here's the quick recipe:

caramels and apples, the perfect combination

1 bag, approximately 50 pieces of caramel candy, unwrapped
5-6 small apples, washed, dried, and stems removed
2 tbs water
5-6 popsicle sticks
a piece of parchment paper approximately 24" x 12" (enough to accommodate all the apples) (the packaging says wax paper, but I'd go with parchment paper)
1-2 tbs butter, softened

Instructions:

Insert the popsicle sticks into the tops of the apples, leaving 2/3 to 3/4 of the stick for easy holding

Brush the softened butter onto sections of the parchment paper wide enough for the bottoms of the apples and a bit of caramel. You may want to place the parchment paper on a cookie sheet so it's easier to transfer the batch of apples to the refrigerator so they can cool


Place the unwrapped candies and water in a small to medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.



Stir constantly until the candy is melted. Remove from heat.

Being careful not to burn yourself, swirl the apples in the melted caramel, making sure to coat all of the apple.

Then carefully place the apple onto a buttered section of the parchment paper. 


Repeat these last two steps until all the apples are coated. 

If there is any left over caramel sauce in the pan, feel free to drizzle it over some yummy vanilla ice cream, or simply add a little more to the tops of the apples.

Place the apples in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight until the caramel cools.


Then enjoy!






I do love me some caramel apples. Here's hoping your Christmas (if you celebrate it) was Merry and your New Year is very, very Happy!


 Q