Fall Cravings: A Caramel Apple Desire
After a recent trip to the Arizona State Fair, my husband and I left with a huge craving for caramel apples. Of course we could have just paid $12 to one of the vendors, but unfortunately our pocket books can not endure a small splurge at this time. Feeling like our caramel apple wishes had been crushed, I came up with the idea to make our own apples from scratch. Seeing as the ingredients alone cost half the price of a single apple at the fair, I had high hopes for a cure to our hunger.
Below is a step by step how-to on making your own delectable caramel apples from scratch. Please be advised, the recipe includes working with high temperatures of sugar that may result in burns if not proceeded with caution.
1. Wash and completely dry your apples. I prefer to use Granny Smith Apples since their tartness tends to pair well with the sweetness of the caramel.
2. Carefully stab the sticks into the center of the apple where the stem/core is. See image below:
3. At this point many recipes I came across suggested to keep the apples cold while cooking the caramel. I noticed that cold apples equaled a more difficult time applying the caramel to the apple evenly.
4. To make the caramel dissolve 1/2 Cup of Granulated sugar, 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt and 1/4 Cup of water in a medium saucepan. Cook the sugar mixture on medium heat, bringing to a boil. Continue boiling for approximately 9 minutes until the mixture turns a light brown color.
5. Slowly add 1/2 cup of heavy cream(the mixture may foam up rapidly at this point, proceed with caution). Continue stirring the caramel on low with a heat proof spoon. I prefer to use a wooden spoon. At this point insert a candy thermometer into the pan to monitor the temperature. Once the caramel reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit, pour into a heat proof bowl. A small bowl works better for dipping the apples
6. Line a pan with wax paper, this is where you will place your apple once they have been coated with caramel.
7. Slowly dip the apples into the caramel, using the stick as a guide to twirl the apple. The caramel sauce will be extremely hot, do not touch with your bare hands. If you would like to apple toppings such as peanuts, chocolate or sprinkles, you would apply them directly after dipping. I choose to dip mine in a peanut mixture.
The finished product was AMAZING and definitely fulfilled our cravings while on a budget.
Inspiration for the recipe found at SeriousEats. I tweaked and scaled the recipe to only make 2 servings.