Hi, guys!! I have a pressing concern on my mind today. A question for the ages -- Why do we only eat caramel apples in the fall?! They’re so yummy. The perfect balance of sweet and tart, healthy and …. not healthy. I always forget HOW MUCH I like them until September/October rolls around and I start seeing them all over the craft and food blogosphere and simply MUST have one. You guys, they’re delicious with a capital D. Especially when you roll ‘em in white chocolate and the equivalent of a chopped up full-size candy bar. {Maybe that’s why they are a once-a-year indulgence!} Need a great way to use up your leftover Halloween candy next week? I got you. Make a few of these “Candy Bomb” caramel apples.
Insert a stick into the top of your apple. I wanted a more rustic look, so instead of popsicle sticks I grabbed some thin tree branches from my back yard, scrubbed them clean and microwaved on High for about 2 minutes to dry them out. Using a Swiss Army knife, whittle the tips into points so they go in the apple without a fight.
To prepare for dipping, roughly chop your candy bars. I used one full-size bar for each apple. If you are using fun-size bars you will need 3-4 per apple, I’m guessing. Place the candy into small bowls and set aside for later.
Next, follow the melting directions on the back of the bag of Caramel bits. I like to use the bits {found on the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips} so I don’t have to unwrap a million individual caramels. Last, melt a bag of white chocolate chips in a separate microwave-safe bowl and get ready to make some magic happen.
Lay out a sheet of wax paper to rest apples on in between dips. Give each apple a good dunk in the warm melted caramel, shaking off the excess, and set on the wax paper to set up a little bit. Because I wanted mine extra gooey, I went for a second dip of caramel before adding toppings. You could skip the double-dip, but I highly recommend it!
Your next layer will either be white chocolate or candy depending on how you want your finished apple to look. For a few of mine, I dipped the whole apple into white chocolate then sprinkled the candy evenly over the top and around the sides. Finish it off with a light drizzle of more white chocolate or caramel – or both. The Twix apple shown above was done this way.
If you can manage to keep them away from your teenagers, they would make awesome fall treats for your besties. Just tie a little bow around the stick and place on a cute paper plate and become “The BEST neighbor/friend EVER”.
Do you have a favorite treat or indulgence that you save for a particular season? If you try these and you might have a new one!