The Best Caramel Apple Recipe Just Got A Whole Lot Easier

You Need to Make These Easy Caramel Apples Right Now

Last week, I showed everyone how easy it is to make homemade caramel right in your microwave– cutting out the constant stirring over a hot stove (and saving you lots of time).

One of the best applications for this amazingly delicious and easy caramel is to use it for making Easy Caramel Apples. Today’s caramel apples are much more flamboyant than the apple dipped in caramel of yesteryear. Folks often go far beyond the single layer of caramel to add layers of chocolate, nuts, and candy on top, creating a gourmet delight. In the last few years, one recipe, in particular, has floated to the top as the most delicious, most delectable, most yummy one of them all. And the story starts in (of all places) Disney World!

A few years ago, a Disney World copycat recipe for ‘Apple Pie Caramel Apples’ began circulating online thanks to this new thing called food blogging :0) So I’m definitely not the first blogger to share this recipe, but I imagine there are a lot of you out there who haven’t yet tried an apple pie caramel apple. At first, it sounded kinda, “meh” when someone told me about it. I’ve had caramel apples before that were made with store-bought caramels and were just kinda nasty. However, when I got together with some friends to make ‘Apple Pie Caramel Apples’, oh my goodness they tasted amazing!!

The flavor combinations of apple, homemade caramel (which is MUCH much better tasting that melted down store-bought caramel), good quality white chocolate and cinnamon-sugar are incredible. Much better than it sounds. Seriously, don’t deny yourself this wonderful treat any longer! And now it’s so easy if you use my simple Easy Microwave Caramel Recipe.

How to Make Easy Caramel Apples.

Here are a few tips I learned just from a little practice that will ensure successful caramel apple making:

• Wash/scrub your apples well, and blanch them in hot water for about 1- 2 minutes before dipping. This cuts down on pesky bubbles that can form after you dip the apples in caramel. Scrubbing them also helps the caramel to stick by roughing up the smooth apple peel.
• Make sure you have parchment paper or silicone nonstick baking mats.
• Use good quality chocolate, like Ghirardelli melting wafers or Guittard white chocolate chips (not Wilton, sorry).
• Lay your parchment papers on baking sheets, so you can easily move the apples in and out of the fridge.
• Work quickly when dipping, both the caramel and chocolate cool fast.
• After dipping each layer, scrape the bottom of the apple against the rim of the bowl to avoid a giant ‘foot’ of the coating under the apple.

If you find the caramel is hardening/cooling too much, just cover it up with plastic wrap and place it in the microwave again for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to loosen it up.

The chocolate needs to be very hot and runny to make a nice thin second layer. If the chocolate isn’t thin enough, it will begin to sag in spots as it cools and it doesn’t look very pretty anymore, especially after you’ve sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar. You’ll know it’s ready when it drizzles quickly from a spoon, not dripping in glops. You can see a little of that in the shadow of the apple below. IF you can’t find Ghirardelli white melting wafers, white chocolate chips will do in a pinch, just stir in a spoonful of coconut oil to help thin it to the right consistency. A four-cup pyrex measuring cup works great for melting/dipping the apples in chocolate!

Here’s the finished masterpiece; Easy Caramel Apples up close and personal. Apples smothered in homemade caramel (that tastes like Werther’s Original), surrounded with a layer of delicious white chocolate dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Some recipes will add a layer of crushed graham cracker, but I like to skip that :0) You will have chocolate and caramel leftover from making these. May I suggest apple nachos? Just drizzle the leftovers over sliced apples and enjoy! Purchase caramel apple sticks at your local craft store, or make your own with real sticks if you’re feeling ambitious enough! I’ve even seen folks cut green leaf shapes from construction paper and tape them on the sticks for some extra cuteness.

I am seriously so glad that fall is here; you’ve seriously gotta give these apples a try! Get together with a friend and have a fun time creating these. Wrapped in a treat bag and tied with a bow, Easy Caramel Apples make amazing little gifts to give away and brighten someone else’s day!

Easy Caramel Apples

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• Author: Emily
• Total Time: 1 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 10 apples 1x

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Description

Easy caramel Apples are a cinch to make, thanks to microwave caramel. No more stirring over a hot oven! Make them today as little gifts for family and friends to celebrate autumn harvest.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 10 granny smith or honeycrisp apples, scrubbed clean
• Caramel apple sticks or popsicle sticks (preferably sharp on one end)
• 1 premade batch of Easy Microwave Caramel
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 (20-ounce) bags of white chocolate melting wafers
• parchment paper
• small mallet or hammer

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Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place apples, a few at a time, in the water for 1-2 minutes, then remove and cool. Gently hammer the sticks into the top next to the stem of the apple. Line the bottom of a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
2. Prepare the Easy Microwave Caramel.
3. Gently coat each apple in hot caramel by holding it at about a 45 degree angle and rolling it in the caramel, leaving a small amount of apple showing at the top. Let the excess drizzle off, then scrape the bottom of the apple against the side of the bowl to remove excess caramel from the bottom. Set onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool. Repeat with the remaining apples.
4. Once finished with all the apples, chill them in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. While the apples chill, mix together the cinnamon and sugar and place into an empty mesh shaker (Or a clean empty salt shaker.) Place chocolate wafers in a microwave safe four-cup measuring cup and melt on 1/2 power for about 2-3 minutes until very runny, stirring every minute to ensure the chocolate doesn’t scorch.
5. Working quickly, dip and twirl the caramel apples into the hot chocolate one at a time, again letting excess chocolate drip off and gentlyscraping the bottom against the edge of the bowl to remove chocolate from the bottom. Before setting the freshly dipped apple down, shake cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire surface of the apple. Place back onto the parchment to cool and set. 

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American