Description
These homemade caramel apples are everything you love about fall – crisp, tart apples wrapped in buttery-smooth caramel and dressed up with your favorite toppings. They’re way better than store-bought and actually pretty simple to make!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 medium Granny Smith apples (pick firm ones!)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (room temperature)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional toppings: chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, or crushed cookies
You’ll also need:
- 6 wooden craft sticks or popsicle sticks
- Candy thermometer
- Parchment paper
- Large baking sheet
Instructions
- First things first – let’s prep those apples! Wash and dry them super well (this helps the caramel stick better)
- Remove the stems and push a wooden stick deep into each apple where the stem was
- Pop the apples in the fridge while we make the caramel (cold apples = better caramel coating!)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and give it a light spray of cooking oil
- In a medium saucepan (bigger than you think you need), mix sugar, water, and corn syrup
- Heat this mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves – don’t stir, just swirl the pan gently!
- Once it’s bubbling, pop in your candy thermometer and cook until it hits 240°F (aka “soft ball stage”)
- Here comes the fun part! Take it off the heat and carefully stir in your cream, butter, vanilla, and salt
- Let the caramel cool for about 5 minutes – it should be thick but still dippable
- Dip each cold apple, twirling to coat evenly
- Let excess caramel drip off, then roll in your chosen toppings if using
- Place on your prepared baking sheet and pop them in the fridge to set