| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans
- Toasted coconut
- Ginger snap crumbs
- Halloween sprinkles
- Special equipment: 6 chopsticks
Instructions
- Put the sugar in a saucepan and add the corn syrup and salt. Give it a nice stir. Put on the stove over medium-high heat. The sugar will dissolve, get nice and clear, and then start bubbling and turn a golden brown.
- Meanwhile, poke a chopstick through the center of each apple.
- Once the caramel is nice and brown, stir in the butter. Turn off the heat. Add the cream, but be really careful because it releases a lot of steam. (I wear an oven mitt to stir.) Then add the vanilla and mix in. Have a bowl of ice and water, and put a metal bowl on top. Scrape the caramel into the metal bowl. Let the caramel cool a bit in the ice bath.
- Dip the apple in the bowl, coating with the caramel. Use a rubber spatula to help the process, if needed. Then dip the coated apples into the toppings of your choice, place on a plate and let harden up a bit.
Reviews
First, I will say the caramel tastes delicious (I doubled my recipe and only added 2 pinches of salt). It almost tasted like a Worther’s candy. HOWEVER, even after I cooled it in an ice bath it wasn’t thick enough and wouldn’t stay on my apple. I even soaked them in boiling water to get the wax off. It tastes real good, but it didn’t serve its purpose for me.
I tried this recipe and because of the last review I cut the 1 teaspoon salt down to a half teaspoon but next time I will use 3/4 of a teaspoon. It adds a great taste to the caramel -not just sweet, a nice layer or dimension with it. I used unsalted butter. I found the same thing true when I made popcorn balls & rice krispy treats the other day -it called for salt and I thought it was odd but it made it so much better than others. I dipped my apples, the night before, in boiling water for 3 seconds (NO longer and vigorously dried them with a dishtowel to remove the wax on the apples that can lead to caramel running off. It is also important the caramel be the right temp -test the caramel by dipping a butter knife into the caramel and holding it for 30-60 seconds over the pan to see if it slides off. Really, really good caramel and excellent for teens and adults.
The caramel is disgustingly salty. I read an interview with Anne Thornton and recall her saying that she “doesn’t make sugarbombs,” well, apparently she wants to make salty bombs instead. It is so salty that you can’t really taste the sweetness…and it’s caramel for crying out loud! Additionally, the caramel kept falling off the apples after I dipped them, even though I scraped all the excess off with a spatula. Caramel apples don’t look good when all the toppings have sunk to the bottom. I’m really disappointed with this recipe, and suggest you don’t make it. I know it says it’s the right amount for 6 apples but this easily could have made 26. Waste of time and money.
*Edit: I watched the video and she only adds a pinch of salt to her caramel. A pinch of salt is 1/4 tsp, and a big pinch is 1/2 tsp max. Not 1 tsp. I’m so sick of inaccurate recipes on this website that are clearly not proofread!