Sugar Savvy

I can’t believe I’ve never made caramel apples before. I’ve eaten them, surely, and their candied cohort, although I prefer the caramel to the faux-lollipop texture of candied apples. With one of my favorite varieties of apples in full swing right now — honeycrisp — I decided it was time to remedy this situation.

Many recipes for caramel apples I encountered call for Granny Smiths, no doubt because of their tart taste and firm texture. I think any crisp, tart-sweet apple works well and would be able to stand up to the sweetness of the caramel; I’d probably stay away from Red Delicious and perhaps McIntosh. This recipe is even quicker because it uses caramels, although you could certainly create your own caramel from scratch if you were so inclined. One more tip: if your apples are especially waxy, it helps to remove the residue by dipping them briefly in boiling water before beginning this process.

Ingredients:

6 apples, chilled in fridge or briefly, in the freezer
6 wooden craft sticks
1 14 oz. bag of individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
2 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. Carefully remove the stems of the apples and insert a wooden stick in each one. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Combine the caramels and the milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about two minutes, stirring once. Note: Times may vary depending on the strength of your machine. When in doubt, set it for less and check it — much like you’d do when melting chocolate in the microwave. Allow the caramel to cool very briefly once it’s melted.
3. In a swift, quick motion, dip and turn the apple in caramel to coat. If too much coats the apple, take a knife and run it around the apple to remove the excess. Place it on the prepared baking sheet to set.
4. Transfer baking sheet to freezer to set, about 15 minutes.  You can eat them just as they are, unadorned, or you can roll them in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, crushed cookies, sprinkles, or other festive treats before you put them in the freezer to set. The caramel sets quickly once it comes out of the microwave so it may be necessary to reheat it to liquefy it.

As you can see, it’s going to require some practice before my apples look like they belong in a candy shop. In the meantime, who cares? It still tastes good.