Candy Caramel Apples

When I was a little girl my mom always made homemade candied caramel apple bites around the time that the Autumn winds started rolling though Western Pennsylvania. Now that I'm older with a family of my own and my brothers are teenagers who are just on the cusp of adulthood whom are never really home this tradition is something that I'm sad to see fall by the wayside.

But luckily, as a mother myself with two young kiddos, I have the opportunity to preserve those cherished traditions and pass them down to a whole new generation.


Ingredients:
2-3 Apples (I like Granny Smith and Red Delicious)
Wooden Skewers or lollipop sticks
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Water
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp Karo Syrup
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
10 oz bag of Soft Caramels
1.5 tbsp Heavy Cream
Toppings of your choice (optional)

With little hands around here, we opted for the miniature version of these scrumptious fall treats and use a melon baller to scoop out bits of the apples. Personally, I leave the skin on, it's too pretty to peel off. Go ahead and put your sticks though the apple balls and then place in the refrigerator to keep from turning brown

Next add your water and granulated sugar to a decently heavy pan and place on low heat. Mix well.

Add butter, Karo Syrup, and vanilla to the mixture and bring to a boil. Swirl the pan to mix the ingredients, do not use a spoon until the mixture is all formed together.

Remove the pan from the heat and dip your apples into the mixture, swirling the tips as you remove them. Stand them up on a tray and place back in the refrigerator for about 30-45 minutes or until the candy coating is hard.

While waiting for the apples to harden you can prepare your caramel. Place the unwrapped caramels and cream into a bowl and microwave until melted (use 30 second intervals so that the bottom portion of the caramels don't burn). Stir and and let cool until the mixture is no longer hot to the touch.

Next grab a few apples out of the fridge and dip into the caramel, and then into a topping of your choice (nuts, coconut, sprinkles, etc). You'll have to work in batches because once the caramel cools you won't be able to dip the apples into it, so it may need an additional few seconds in the microwave in between batches to soften it up. Be careful not to make it too hot though or else it will end up melting the candy coating off.

Stick in mini cupcake liners to contain any sticky messes and place back in the refrigerator to allow the caramel to set up and then chow down!