Homemade Caramel Apples

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Anytime is Caramel Apples time! When your father-in-law brings you bushels and bushels of beautiful local Michigan apples, you make Caramel Apples!!

Every year my daughter, Calli, comes to me and wants to make homemade caramel apples. My homemade caramel recipe comes from my grandma, Millie Bahr. This caramel apple recipe is creamy and silky smooth.

Gather from your local orchards, fresh tart and sweet apples of choice. Pair with your favorite toppings to add color and texture.

Caramel Apples Trio paired with toppings. — Caramel Apples Trio

For years my husband has ordered Mrs. Prindables apples. We all love Mrs. Prindables!!

You can check them out by clicking here. Mrs. Prindables QVC package comes like clockwork to our house.

Starting around Thanksgiving the box of individually wrapped caramel apples get delivered. They are passed around to our family and friends as well as devoured by us.

This has been tradition in our house for many years. The boxes continue to come all through the holidays.

As my daughter and I prefect our caramel apple making skills every year. I wanted to share with you my recipe.

Caramel Apples with M-n-M, nuts and mini chocolate chip toppings. — Caramel Apples

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How to Make Caramel

How to make homemade caramel can be a little bit challenging but is so rewarding when finished. My daughter and I decide to make a large batch of caramel.

This batch will make about 20 caramel apples. You will need to have a candy thermometer.

The reason I love this thermometer is because you can use it to temp meat and also keep a constant temperature of your pan that is on the stove. From oil for frying to candy making, this Taylor thermometer is a great buy!!

I have used a lot of different thermometer, but my preference is this one. Don’t be afraid to use a thermometer. It will help in the caramel making process.

Make this caramel for caramel apples and all of your other needs. I use this caramel recipe for chocolate covered caramels, turtles, snicker bars, and several other recipes.

Gather all of your ingredients for making your caramel.

Prepare your apples for dipping. Wash and dry all apples. Insert sticks into the top center of all the apples and set aside.

Gather your assortment of toppings that you want to use. We choose mini m-n-m’s, mini chocolate chips, chopped peanuts and toffee bits. Set aside.

Toppings - mini m-n-m’s, mini chocolate chips, chopped peanuts and toffee bits — Toppings – mini m-n-m’s, mini chocolate chips, chopped peanuts and toffee bits

Look around your house, you can use anything you want to add to your caramel apples.

Combine the heavy whipping cream and milk in a bowl or container. In a large saucepan, add 3 cups of the milk mixture, sugars (granulated and brown sugar), corn syrup and salt.

Homemade Caramel in 9 Stages

Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugars and continue stirring.

Combine half of the milk mixture, sugars, lt. corn syrup and salt in a large saucepan.

Caramel - Stage 1 - Bring to a boil. — Combine half of the milk mixture, sugars, lt. corn syrup and salt in a large saucepan.

Using a candy thermometer, cook till 234°. With the saucepan still on medium heat, very slowly stir in the remaining 3 cups of milk mixture.

Stage 4 – Slowly, add the rest of the milk mixture to the saucepan mixture.

Make sure the saucepan mixture continues to boil as you pour in the milk mixture. Continue stirring and cook caramel mixture to 244°.

Stage 5 - Return to a soft boil, stirring constantly. — Caramel Stage 5 – Return to a soft boil, stirring constantly.

Stage 6 - Continue boiling - caramel color deepens. — Caramel Stage 5 – Return to a soft boil, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter.

Stage 8 - Stir in the butter and vanilla to the caramel mixture. — Stage 8 – Stir in the butter and vanilla to the caramel mixture.

Stage 9 - Continue stirring until all butter is melted and mixed in. — Stage 8 – Stir in the butter and vanilla to the caramel mixture.

This process took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cooking time will vary.

Let caramel cool for about 10 – 20 minutes. You don’t want the caramel to be too runny so that it drips off the apple when dipped. But you don’t want the caramel to thick so that you struggle getting a good coating on the apples.

What is the Best Apple for Caramel Apples?

This is a large debate in our house! My husband likes tart apples such as Macintosh, and Jonathans. Calli and I like sweet apples such as Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious and Fuji.

Check out this Michigan Fruit Growers News here for the different Michigan apple variety, time of season they are out and the flavor profile of each apple.

You want a firm apple verse a soft apple. Pick the tartness or sweetness of the apple depending on your taste preference.

How to Make Caramel Apples

Make sure that the homemade caramel is at the right temperature. Not to runny and not to thick.

If the caramel gets to thick just return the pan to the stove. On low heat, stir the caramel until you reach the desired thickness. I just left my pan on the stove on very low heat and would turn the burner on and off when I needed to.

Line a baking sheet with foil or plastic wrap. Grease with non-stick cooking spray.

To make your caramel apples, grasp the handle of your apple stick tightly. Gently dip the apple into the caramel and swirl around to coat the apple.

I like to leave a little bit of the apple skin showing on the top. Lift the apple out of the caramel and let drip.

Dipped Caramel Apple - let excess caramel drip from the bottom of the apple. — Dipped Caramel Apple – let excess caramel drip from the bottom of the apple.

Carefully, scrape the excess caramel off the bottom with the side of the saucepan. If the caramel continues to drip off the bottom, then your caramel is to hot and needs to cool down a little longer.

Scrap the bottom of the freshly dipped apple along the pan rim. — Scrape the bottom of the freshly dipped apple along the pan rim.

Dipped Caramel Apple — Scrape the bottom of the freshly dipped apple along the pan rim.

Caramel Apple Toppings

You can either dip your apples in the toppings or hand place what you want. We dipped them at first but found that it added way too much topping than what we wanted.

Hand placing what we wanted worked out better for us. Place finished apples onto the greased baking sheet.

Adding your topping to the caramel apple.

Dipping all of the apples into the caramel and then placing the toppings on each apple. This took my daughter and I about 30 minutes with 2 of us working.

I recommend placing finished apples in the fridge to help them firm up. If caramel is left over from dipping just put into a grease lined pan.

This caramel can be reheated for any of your other needs. You can cut up the cooled caramel and dip into melted chocolate for chocolate covered caramels.

How to Make Professional Caramel Apples

To make professional looking caramel apples you need to have a variety of good toppings. Make sure that your caramel is not to hot so that it runs off the apple.

And make sure that your caramel is not to cold so that it gets clumpy when trying to coat the apples. When the caramel apples are cooled you can use a large cupcake wrappers to place the apple onto.

Professional Caramel Apples displayed on a wooden board. — Professional Caramel Apples

Caramel Apples – FAQ

How Do You Keep Caramel from Sliding Off Apples?

Make sure that all of the water has been wiped clean from the apples. If the caramel is to hot and has not cooled down enough the caramel will fall off and make a pool of caramel at the bottom of the apple.

How Long Do Caramel Apples Last?

The apples will last up to one week if not refrigerated. I recommend that you refrigerate the caramel apples. They will last about 2 – 3 weeks depending on how fresh your apple is.

20 Apples

Caramel Apples

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Dipping & Assembly Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Anytime is Caramel Apples time! When your father-in-law brings you bushels and bushels of beautiful local Michigan apples, you make Caramel Apples!! Every year my daughter Calli comes to me and wants to make homemade caramel apples. My homemade caramel recipe comes from my grandma, Millie Bahr. This caramel recipe is creamy and silky smooth. Gather from your local orchards, fresh tart and sweet apples of choice. Pair with your favorite toppings to add color and texture.

Ingredients

Heavy Whipping Cream 4 cups
Milk 2 cups
Sugar, granulated 2 cups
Brown Sugar 2 cups
Corn Syrup, lt. 3 cups
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla 2 teaspoons
Butter, salted 1/2 cup
Apples 20 each
M-n-m's, mini 5 oz
Chocolate chips, mini 6 oz
Peanuts, chopped 2 oz
Toffee Bits 4 oz

Instructions

Gather all of your ingredients for making your caramel.
Prepare your apples for dipping. Wash and dry all apples. Insert sticks into the top center of all the apples and set aside.
Gather your assortment of toppings that you want to use. We choose mini m-n-m’s, mini chocolate chips, chopped peanuts and toffee bits. Set aside.
Combine the heavy whipping cream and milk in a bowl or container.
In a large saucepan, add 3 cups of the milk mixture, sugars (granulated and brown sugar), corn syrup and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugars and continue stirring.
Using a candy thermometer, cook till 234°.
With the saucepan still on medium heat, very slowly stir in the remaining 3 cups of milk mixture. Make sure the saucepan mixture continues to boil as you pour in the milk mixture.
Continue stirring and cook caramel mixture to 244°.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. This process took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cooking time will vary.
Let caramel cool for about 10 – 20 minutes. You don’t want the caramel to be too runny so that it drips off the apple when dipped. But you don’t want the caramel to thick so that you struggle getting a good coating on the apples.
How to Make Caramel Apples
Make sure that the homemade caramel is at the right temperature. Not to runny and not to thick. If the caramel gets to thick just return the pan to the stove. On low heat, stir the caramel until you reach the desired thickness. I just left my pan on the stove on very low heat and would turn the burner on and off when I needed to.
Line a baking sheet with foil or plastic wrap. Grease with non-stick cooking spray.
To make your caramel apples, grasp the handle of your apple stick tightly. Gently dip the apple into the caramel and swirl around to coat the apple. I like to leave a little bit of the apple skin showing on the top.
Lift the apple out of the caramel and let drip. Carefully, scrape the excess caramel off the bottom with the side of the saucepan. If the caramel continues to drip off the bottom, then your caramel is to hot and needs to cool down a little longer.
Toppings You can either dip your apples in the toppings or hand place what you want. We dipped them at first but found that it added way too much topping than what we wanted. Hand placing what we wanted worked out better for us.
Place finished apples onto the greased baking sheet. Dipping all of the apples into the caramel and then placing the toppings on each apple. This took my daughter and I about 30 minutes with 2 of us working.
I recommend placing finished apples in the fridge to help them firm up.
If caramel is left over from dipping just put into a grease lined pan. This caramel can be reheated for any of your other needs. You can cut up the cooled caramel and dip into melted chocolate for chocolate covered caramels.

Notes

Tips

This batch will make about 20 caramel apples. You will need to have a candy thermometer. I have used a lot of different thermometer, but my preference is a Taylor thermometer with a cord. Don’t be afraid to use a thermometer. It will help in the caramel making process. Make this caramel for caramel apples and all of your other needs. I use this caramel recipe for chocolate covered caramels, turtles, snicker bars, and several other recipes.

What is the Best Apple for Caramel Apples?
This is a large debate in our house! My husband likes tart apples such as Macintosh, and Jonathans. Calli and I like sweet apples such as Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious and Fuji. Check out Michigan Fruit Growers News at https://fruitgrowersnews.com/news/early-michigan-apple-varieties-estimated-to-be-ready-at-end-of-august/ for the different Michigan apple variety, time of season they are out and the flavor profile of each apple. You want a firm apple verse a soft apple. Pick the tartness or sweetness of the apple depending on your taste preference.

How to Make Professional Caramel Apples
To make professional looking caramel apples you need to have a variety of good toppings. Make sure that your caramel is not to hot so that it runs off the apple. And make sure that your caramel is not to cold so that it gets clumpy when trying to coat the apples. When the caramel apples are cooled you can use a large cupcake wrapper to place the apple onto.

How Do You Keep Caramel from Sliding Off Apples?
Make sure that all of the water has been wiped clean from the apples. If the caramel is to hot and has not cooled down enough the caramel will fall off and make a pool of caramel at the bottom of the apple.

How Long Do Caramel Apples Last?
The apples will last up to one week if not refrigerated. I recommend that you refrigerate the caramel apples. They will last about 2 - 3 weeks depending on how fresh your apple is.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 656Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 63mgSodium 142mgCarbohydrates 115gFiber 5gSugar 106gProtein 4g

Note: For exact nutritional information, consult your dietitian. All nutritional information is simply a guideline.

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Caramel Apples