Caramel Apples…Ahhhh!

Is there a treat any more descriptive of fall than caramel apples, aside from pumpkin everything? Caramel apples and fall just go together like pairing a fine wine with an extravagant meal. If you look at most caramel apple recipes on the interwebs, you’ll see a lot of use of prepackaged caramels melted with a bit of heavy whipping cream as their caramel recipe. <scratching head>

Look, you do you boo, but I need the real thing. On the other hand,  I can also see why that route is taken by some. Making caramel is no joke. It’s labor intensive and has to be baby sat the whole time. In fact, I have a love hate relationship with it, and have earned the nickname “Double Batch” from the mister when it comes to me and caramel making.

There’s so many things that can go wrong, and trust me I’ve probably hit them all. Burning the caramel, crystalizing the caramel, caramel that’s too soft or too hard. As much as it pains me to throw out a batch of caramel or ruined apples, I’ve amassed an education on what to do and what NOT to do.

Now let’s talk about getting the caramel to stick to the apples. I’ve cried over many a bushel of apple trying to get caramel to stick. Just washing your apple isn’t enough to get that wax off. Dipping it the perfect batch of caramel only to watch it roll off like water on a ducks back is horrifying.

Or hey, maybe the caramel sticks, but it just won’t set ,so you find yourself doing a juggling act turning your apples six ways to Sunday trying to keep it even and get it to harden. So you think you’ve finally got it, dip it in peanuts and set it down only to watch everything slide down to a heavy bottomed foot! Don’t cry I’m here to help. Err I mean you’re here for help.

Today, I’m going to help you troubleshoot all those snafus and offer you some tips & tricks to make the perfect mouth watering ooey gooey caramel apples. Let’s begin with our apples. I like a tart apple to contrast the salty sweet flavor of the caramel. So I always choose a granny smith apple. Plus, duh, they are just so pretty to look at. Try these delicious candy apples.

No Fail Carmel Apple Tips:

1.) Before we even begin making our apples we are going to make sure all our prep work is done. That begins by washing and prepping your apples. This serves two purposes. Cleaning the apple AND removing the wax coating so the caramel will stick. I’ve tried dipping my apple in boiling water and using a light sandpaper scrub. I can tell you I prefer the sandpaper over the boiling water method.

Either way, your apple is not going to look as pretty, but it’s going to be dressed in caramel and peanuts or candy toppings anyway. So just get over it and do the deed already.  If going the sandpaper route, lightly sand your apples then wash them under warm water and dry them thoroughly.

If using the boiling method, bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boing over high heat and dip the apples in one at a time for about 15 seconds or so making sure the get all sides of the apple. Remove and thoroughly dry.

2.) Keep your apples cold. After your apples are washed put some sturdy sticks in them and place them in the freezer to keep the apples as cold as possible. This cold shock will help the caramel to set a bit faster when dipping. Also, during this time you’ll want to put wax paper down on a baking sheet and butter it nicely so your caramel apples won’t stick to the surface.

If you’re going to dip your caramel apples in toppings now is the time to get that all set up in an assembly line. Once the caramel is ready for the apples, you’ll need to move swiftly. Just keep in the mind, the more apples you take on, the more headaches you’ll have. I never dip more than 4 at a time. It’s just too stressful! If I worked at one of those chocolate candy stores, they would surely ban me from working the caramel apple assembly line considering the high volume of production. I’m breaking out into a cold sweat just thinking about it.

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Now it’s time to make the caramel.

3.) The next tip is to make sure you have a good candy thermometer that works correctly and bring your caramel to the right temperature. For me, I’ve found that to be between 248 and 250 degrees F. I’ve tried it at 238 degrees F as suggested by some, but it was too soft and slid down the apple. It also took way too long to set.

On the contrary, going past 250 degrees F is going to give you a chewy and possibly a toffee like coating once it sets. So if you’re looking for a trip to the dentist to replace your crown then that’s the temperature for you! Make sure your thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan, and resting in the syrup. Try to get a thermometer that has a clip that can be attached to side of the pan.

4.) Cook all your ingredients except vanilla all at once.  I found cooking the caramel in two stages to be a complete waste of time. Just add all your ingredients (EXCEPT vanilla) to a heavy bottomed tall pot and begin. Some cook the sugar, corn syrup, and water before adding the heavy cream and butter mixture. It’s not for me and leaves room for error.

• 2 cups brown sugar (can use light or dark)
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup (don’t leave this out as it helps to keep the sugar from crystalizing.)
• 2 Tablespoons cold water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a large deep pot add all your above ingredients EXCEPT vanilla
2. Turn stove to medium heat
3. Clip your candy thermometer on the side of the pan making sure that it’s not touching the bottom of the pan.
4. Stir the mixture until the butter and sugar melts taking care not to get sugar crystals on the side of the pan. So long as you keep stirring it should be fine.
5. When the temperature get to be around 212 degrees F it’s going to bubble up quickly as it boils. Don’t take your eyes off it and be ready to remove from the heat if you need to, to let the bubbles subside a bit. That’s why it’s important to have a deep pot.
6. Do not stir anymore once the syrup begins to boils. Resist the urge.
7. As it boils down it will thicken (see below photo)
8. When the temperature reaches between 248 and 250 degrees F remove it from the heat.
9. Leave thermometer attached and add your vanilla and stir with a clean silicone spatula careful not to introduce any sugar crystals that might be laying around the kitchen counter.
10. Let the temperature fall to about 180 degrees and begin dipping your apples.

5.) Absolutely let your caramel cool down before dipping in your apples.This will help the caramel to coat thicker. Wait until the thermometer reads 180 degrees F, then remove the thermometer and tilt the pan to the side and dip your first apple in making sure to coat all sides and the top as much as you can. Resist the urge to keep dipping it back in.

No Fail Caramel Apple Tricks:

The shock of the cold apple from the freezer to the warm caramel should help it to set rather quickly as well. Let the excess caramel run off as you turn it from side to side and up and down. Remember that six ways until Sunday thingy? Yeah, you still gotta do that a little bit.

Once it is set enough dip it in the toppings of your choice and set it on a buttered piece of wax or parchment paper. Continue the same steps until all your apples are dipped. Place the apples far enough apart so they won’t stick together.

And boom! There’s your perfect caramel apple. See those 2 apples in the back in the photo below? They are from a batch yesterday that I cooked to 238 degrees and you can vaguely see how the caramel slid down the apple. They definitely had a heavy caramel foot (not to be confused with camel toe,) but they made good props to photograph nonetheless. They are still completely edible. Just a little too soft for my taste.

More tips and tricks for perfect caramel apples.

But the apple out in front, perfect! I had one more apple and decided to give my caramel making one more try after 2 failed attempts over 2 days. By taking note of everything that went wrong over the 2 previous days I was able to come up with a better plan. All the above tips and tricks I shared with you gave me the  perfect caramel apple.

You can see that the caramel stuck to the apple throughout.

The texture of the caramel is perfect. Gooey but not too soft and definitely not too hard. And oh my gosh! The taste of the caramel with the tart apple. Pure heaven.

Let my failures be your success! Hopefully, this will ease some of your fears of making caramel apples and you can banish the prepackaged caramels for good. No go forth and make ALL THE CARAMEL APPLES!