How to make irresistible caramel and candy-coated apple slices!
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Caramel apples are one of the most traditional fall favorites out there, beloved by many generations for obvious reasons. Those crisp and crunchy delectable treats are not only cute, but they taste like no other sweet. However, there can be a few problems with the traditional recipe.
Let’s face the truth, caramel apples are messy! Absolutely delicious, yes, but totally messy… especially for kids. Not only that, but whole candy apples can be difficult for smaller kids to be able to eat or even hold on to long enough to eat the whole apple. Which, honestly, kids almost never do.
But I am excited to share that there are some easy and delicious ways to avoid such problems. Instead of making whole caramel apples, my simple solution was to make some of these Caramel Apple Slices! These tasty treats take the recipe to a whole new level!
Instead of just a caramel coating, these apple slices are dipped into caramel and then coated with even more delectable toppings like chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Talk about the ultimate sweet treat! Plus, since this recipe involves slicing the apples into wedges, it’s way easier for kids to manage and enjoy.
With these caramel apple slices I don’t have to worry about cleaning up near as many shards of hardened caramel later on. Plus there’s a much better candy to apple ratio so every bite is sure to be a good one! These tasty treats are perfect for kids, birthday and holiday parties, and for charming homemade gifts!
Caramelizing Equipment
This scrumptious caramel apple slice recipe does require the help of quite a few kitchen tools. For the most part, these tools are not complicated or too uncommon. If you don’t have some of these tools you can probably work with what you do have in your current kitchen collection without any problems. Here are the tools I use for these caramel apple slices:
- Fruit knife
- Apple corer
- Wilton candy melts pot – for melted chocolate garnish
- Saucepan with a pouring lip
- Silicone pastry brush
- Short bamboo skewers
- Parchment paper sheets
- Baking sheet
- Candy thermometer
Caramel Apple Ingredients
Now, let me go over my sweet and simple ingredient list. Surprisingly, I don’t use a ton of ingredients even though my recipe calls for homemade caramel. It doesn’t take a lot to do, it’s all about having the right know-how. I do like to go crazy with my yummy garnishes though!
Apple Slices:
- 2 Granny Smith apples – cored and sliced
- Ball Fruit Fresh Produce Protector or lemon juice
Homemade Caramel:
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- 4 tbsp Butter
Garnishes:
- pecans – chopped
- mini chocolate chips
- almond slivers
- Mini marshmallows
- graham crackers – crushed
- Melted chocolate: 1/2 cup of chocolate chips + 1 tsp of coconut oil
How to Make Swoon-Worthy Caramel Apple Slices
Alright, now let’s get down to this caramel apple slice process. It’s actually pretty easy to do but there are a lot of steps to cover overall so let’s dive right in. Here’s how I make caramel and candy-coated apple slices:
Preparing the Apple Slices:
- First, rinse the apples in cold water.
- Then, core and slice each apple into wedges using a fruit knife or apple corer.
- Next, give the apple slices a preserving bath in the Ball fresh produce protector (use per product packaging instructions). Or toss the apple wedges with a small mix of 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 cups of water.
- After bathing, insert the bamboo skewers into each apple wedge and pat them dry with a paper towel. Let them rest on the paper towels while you prepare the caramel.
Making the Homemade Caramel:
- First, preheat a small saucepan over medium heat, and add in the sugar and salt, and cover with water.
- Next, bring the mixture to a simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring only occasionally with a silicone spatula.
- Then, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook the caramel mixture, without stirring, until it reaches a deep golden color.
- Brush the inside edges of the saucepan with a silicone brush and some water to avoid the caramel hardening on the sides while it simmers.
- If you have a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 350°F.
- Once the caramel is a deep copper color, turn off the heat and immediately stir in the heavy cream and butter.
- Finally, let the caramel mixture cool just slightly in the pan before pouring it into a glass jar. Let it cool just to the touch, since it will begin to harden pretty quickly.
- Try keeping the jar of caramel in a large glass bowl, or baking dish, filled with a couple inches of hot water to keep it warm throughout the dipping process.
Preparing the Melted Chocolate:
While the caramel is cooling slightly, quickly prepare the melted chocolate.
- First, combine ½ cup of chocolate chips with 1 tsp of coconut oil in a candy melt pot.
- Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Keep the melted chocolate on warm for dipping, or transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag for easy drizzling. Tie off the bag and cut ⅛ inch from the tip.
Garnishing with the Goods:
- First, dip an apple wedge into the homemade caramel about ⅔ of the way down.
- Then, garnish it immediately after dipping it into the caramel with your preferred toppings and transfer to a parchment paper or wax paper-lined baking sheet to set for about 10 minutes.
- You must garnish immediately and quickly before the caramel starts to harden!
- Repeat with the remaining apple wedges, serve, and enjoy!
Storage Tip:
Since this recipe is made with sliced apples these do not store well overnight, unfortunately. However, that is an excellent excuse to devour every single one if necessary, so there is a bright side! Thanks to the freshness-preserving bath, they will keep looking fresh for about 8 hours though so they’re still perfect to set out for parties and get-togethers.
More apple recipes
An Apple a Day is What They Say
These fabulous fall favorites are perfect for tons of occasions and events! Or for just whenever you need a sweet tooth satisfaction. Check out some of my serving suggestions and a few more of my favorite fall recipes:
Perfect for serving at autumn events such as:
- Birthday parties
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas parties or other holiday celebrations
- Baby showers
- Bridal shower or engagement party
More of my favorite autumn apple recipes:
- Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- Apple Sharlotka Muffins
- Apple Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze
- Apple Butter
- Baked Apples
- Black Caramel Apples
- Red Caramel Apples
- Orange Caramel Apples
Caramel Apple Slices
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Slices
- 2 Granny Smith apples cored and sliced
- 2 Apples cored and sliced
- Ball Fruit Fresh Produce Protector or lemon juice
Homemade Caramel
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- 4 tbsp Butter
Garnish
- pecans choped
- mini chocolate chips
- almond slivers
- Mini marshmallows
- graham crackers crushed
- melted chocolate melt together 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tsp of coconut oil
Instructions
Preparing the Apple Slices
- First, rinse the apples in cold water.
- Then, core and slice each apple into wedges using a fruit knife or apple corer.
- Next, give the apple slices a preserving bath in the Ball fresh produce protector (use per product packaging instructions). Or toss the apple wedges with a small mix of 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 cups of water.
- After bathing, insert the bamboo skewers into each apple wedge and pat them dry with a paper towel. Let them rest on the paper towels while you prepare the caramel.
Making the Homemade Caramel
- First, preheat a small saucepan over medium heat, and add in the sugar and salt, and cover with water.
- Next, bring the mixture to a simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring only occasionally with a silicone spatula.
- Then, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook the caramel mixture, without stirring, until it reaches a deep golden color.Brush the inside edges of the saucepan with a silicone brush and some water to avoid the caramel hardening on the sides while it simmers.If you have a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 350°F.
- Once the caramel is a deep copper color, turn off the heat and immediately stir in the heavy cream and butter.
- Finally, let the caramel mixture cool just slightly in the pan before pouring it into a glass jar. Let it cool just to the touch, since it will begin to harden pretty quickly.Try keeping the jar of caramel in a large glass bowl, or baking dish, filled with a couple inches of hot water to keep it warm throughout the dipping process.
Preparing the Melted Chocolate
- garnish immediately after dipping into the caramel with a garnish of your choice
- First, combine ½ cup of chocolate chips with 1 tsp of coconut oil in a candy melt pot.
- Heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- Keep the melted chocolate on warm for dipping, or transfer the melted chocolate to a piping bag for easy drizzling. Tie off the bag and cut ⅛ inch from the tip.
Garnishing with the Goods
- First, dip an apple wedge into the homemade caramel about ⅔ of the way down.
- Then, garnish it immediately after dipping it into the caramel with your preferred toppings and transfer to a parchment paper or wax paper-lined baking sheet to set for about 10 minutes.You must garnish immediately and quickly before the caramel starts to harden!
- Repeat with the remaining apple wedges, serve, and enjoy!
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