If you haven’t already noticed, I love fall food, especially all the great things that can be made with freshly-picked apples. This one isn’t terribly complicated, but it’s one of the best ways in the world to eat a crisp juicy apple. But seriously…what doesn’t taste better covered with caramel and chocolate?
These are so much fun to take to a fall party to share, or even to give as fall gifts to teachers or someone else special in your life. Gourmet apples cost big bucks in specialty shops, but these are frugal, festive, and fun to make. Here’s how:
Gather your ingredients: caramels, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and apples. Try to find medium-large apples that are firm, without any bruises, and with flat bottoms so they’ll stand up straight. Wash and thoroughly dry the apples.
Unwrap caramels and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of water and microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between, until caramel is melted and creamy.
Place apples in the caramel one at a time, and use a spoon to coat them in caramel. If the caramel gets too thick, you can heat it a little longer, or add a tiny bit more water.
Carefully place on a wax-paper-covered cookie sheet and refrigerate until caramel hardens.
Put chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and heat 30 seconds at a time, stirring between, until melted.
Place apples one at a time into melted chocolate, and use the back of a spoon to smooth the chocolate over the apple, covering all the caramel.
Place on another wax-paper-covered cookie sheet, and if desired, decorate with sprinkles, chopped nuts, toffee pieces, or anything else that would be yummy. They’re awesome plain too (that’s actually the way my family prefers them!)
Return to the fridge until the chocolate completely hardens. To serve, cut through just to the side of the core, then slice each larger piece into thin slices.
It wouldn’t be frugal to waste the leftover chocolate and caramel, would it? 😉 Slice up another apple and dip up the leftovers!
To give as gifts, wrap in cellophane and tie with some curling ribbon. They’ll keep in the fridge for around a week…theoretically (they never seem to last that long around here!)
Need more apple recipes? Check these out: