Caramel & Chocolate Apples

So yeah, we’re at the end of October. If you haven’t caught on, I usually start my blog posts with a reminder of how fast time flies. It’s not my fault! Whenever I start writing something, the first thing I do is look at the date. And almost every time, I’m dumbfounded by how the calendar days are melting away like butter on a hot grill. I really should stop because it’s not good to live that way. The more you pay attention to the time, the more it’ll work against you.

Today’s life lessons brought to you by Wilton! Haha, yeah, another one! I have a list of things to post about and most of them are Wilton things! I can’t help it, they’re awesome, what can I say?

Anyway, I’ve had this itch since last year where I wanted to make caramel apples. I’ve never made them before and they looked like fun.

Yes, that’s right, I never made them before! Wanna know something crazier? I only had my first one a few months ago! Oooooh the humanity!

Lucky for me, it was easy enough to prepare. Wilton has a buuuuunch of products for all your Apple making needs. I went simple with mine by using the caramel dip as well as regular ol’ melted chocolate. Then they got dipped in cinnamon chips and drizzled with… Ahh, why tell you now? Let’s get apples deep.

Dipped Apples

 

4 each – Apples
Wilton Caramel Apple Dip
3 cups – Chocolate Chips
3 tablespoons – Milk
1 bag – Cinnamon Chips

 

1 cup – Chocolate Chips, melted
1/2 bag – Candy Corn Candy Melts

 

Wilton Fall Caramel Apple Sticks
Wilton 3.75 inch Large Treat Cups

Notes

• This is what I did for my apples. You can go a totally different route.
• Which you should, because an apple should be a blank canvas. There’s so much you could do with a dipped apple, it’s ridiculous. Just take a look in your pantry and see what you got in there. Why do you think I used cinnamon chips? (turned out to be pretty good)
• I went with two different apples – caramel and chocolate. You could do one or the other, or both, or something else entirely. It’s up to you.
• Wilton has a buuuuuunch of different dips for your apple needs if salted caramel isn’t your thing.
• I used gala apples. There are many different ways to consider which apple you want to use. Some are more tart and will balance out the sweetness of the dip/toppings, others are sweet because the person who made them are evil genius’ with no regard for order in the world. When it boils down to it, it’s really up to you.
• The size of the apple is important as well. If it’s too big, you’ll need more dip and more toppings to cover them. I went with small to medium sized apples and after the dip and toppings they came out looking a lot bigger. So use caution.
• I used the Candy Corn Candy Melts because I had them on hand and wanted something white to contrast with the chocolate. You don’t have to have the same type of Candy Melt.

Alright, let’s get our Evil Queen on and make some apples.

• First thing is to wash the apples. Give them a nice rubbin’ under water and then dry them good. You need to get that wax off as best you can or else the dip won’t stick on to the surface and you’ll feel like a loser. Don’t feel like a loser. Wash your apples.

• Next is to get set up. Get some parchment paper laid out on a few baking sheets so you could mindlessly put things down if you have to. You’re dipping apples in caramel and chocolate. Chances are good it’s going to get messy. You’ll also be putting the apples in the fridge so this will make it easier. Also, whatever you’re using should be ready to be used.

• For instance, if you’re using cinnamon chips because you had them in the pantry and didn’t really have anything else, then open up the bag and put them in a bowl until you need them. And try not to eat half of them before they’re used or you’ll end up with an apple that’s only half covered….

• Then you want to prep your apples with the sticks. Now, I’m not going to lie to you, these sticks are freaking adorable. I kid you not, my desire to make caramel apples was born solely from the desire to use these sticks. They look so awesome and rustic and natural, it’s an absolute necessity when making caramel apples. So be sure to pick them up!

Alright, so here’s where it splits off. There’s caramel apples and chocolate apples, both with their own instructions and both incredibly easy!

• For the caramel: It’s simple, just follow the directions! It really is easy, my advice is to work fast though. If the caramel starts to cool down it’ll be harder to work with.

• Even after coating an apple, the temperature of the apple will cool it down so by the next apple it’ll be a little harder to work with. So just try to keep it at the right temperature. Not too hot though or it won’t stick at all. I know! It’s like the apple is Goldilocks or something, but it’s true.

• The trick is to roll the apple through the dip. You’ll get a nice coating through the whole thing and it’ll be even for the most part. Put one hand on the stick and guide the apple with your fingers on the bottom. You might get some caramel on your hands but c’mon, I’m sure you’ve gotten messy with worse things. I guess you could’ve used a fork or something but where’s the fun in that?

When the apple is coated just plop it on the parchment lined tray and move on to the next one. I didn’t coat the apple with the chips until the dip settled a bit. So I dipped the next apple and when I put that one down, I coated the first one in the chips. Get it? Good.

• Time to dip the dip in the chips! It’s exactly like that song from the 90’s. You know.. “Put your hand up on the stick, then dip the dip in chips.” I know you know it! Look at you singing along.

When you’re rolling the dipped apple around in the chips, you could either coat the whole thing or just a portion like I did. If you’re finding some spots are missing chips you could just hand place them. It’s ok, the internet exaggerates, no one is watching.

• When it’s coated, put it back on the parchment lined tray and repeat. When they’re all done, pop the tray in the fridge so it could really set.

• For the chocolate: I meted my chocolate with about 3 tablespoons of milk. Just do it in the microwave for 45 second intervals at 50% power.

• And I did the same exact thing I did for the caramel. Same process, same everything. Once everything was done it also went in the fridge.

• After about an hour in the fridge, melt another cup of chocolate on its own and put it in a small zip lock bag. The same with the Candy Corn Candy Melts.

• Take the apples out of the fridge, then cut a tiny end off the tip of the bags. I used the chocolate for the caramel apples and the candy melts for the chocolate apples. If I was to do it this way again, I would’ve gone with a much smaller hole so the drizzle could’ve been a lot more fine that it was. But it still came out pretty good!

• So just turn the apples about while you’re drizzling the chocolate or candy melts from the bag. Oh my gosh, the horror in the difficulty!

That’s about it! My first caramel apples! They came out tasting pretty darn good too.

I really wish I had more toppings to dip them in. The caramel apples would’ve been great with some chopped pecans.

And then the sticks! Ugh, I can’t get enough of how awesome they look.

Like I said, overall, the process for making dipped apples is open to interpretation. You can’t really go wrong doing something you like because it’ll be good for you.

Yeah, there are some amazingly great creations out there, but don’t be intimidated. Sometimes simple does just fine.

I’m going to give apple dipping another shot with some more ingredients. But for now I’m happy with how easy these were to put together.

And if you guys are looking for some more awesome apple dipping ideas, be sure to check out a few of my friends on the Wilton Treat Team!

Marilyn’s “Totally Cool for School” Dipped Caramel Apples from Sweets to Impress

Sues’ Mini Caramel Candy Apples from We Are Not Martha

Karyn’s Easy Caramel Apples and Slices from Pint Sized Baker

For the record, there are links that lead you to Amazon products. If you purchase those products through those links you’ll be helping me and my site out. So thanks!