Caramel Apples

One of my favorite things about fall has always been caramel apples. If apples are any kind of in season, I want to rub them in caramel and sprinkle toppings on them.  As long as an apple has crunch to it, dip it in mini marshmallows and I’m in heaven.  Last year, a few months after Dan and I moved to Takoma Park, Maryland, we attended the Fall Festival.  For weeks after we first saw a poster, I was jazzed.  I was so excited about the caramel apples and apple cider and pumpkin bread!  Because what is more “fall” than apples and pumpkin?  NOTHING!  Unfortunately, Takoma Park’s food vendors disagreed.  We ended up with a lime fizz  and fried plantains.

Last fall we appeased our desire for caramel apples by buying caramel dip at the grocery store and pretending like it was the same thing, even though clearly it wasn’t.  The thing I love about caramel apples isn’t just that it’s an apple dipped in caramel, but that the caramel is used, when hot, as a glue, and then the whole thing is chilled and eaten together.  That’s a sensation you just can’t get with the dip from the grocery store.

This weekend I had a three year old to entertain (in D.C.’s best imitation of the Pacific Northwest), so we pulled out all the stops and made caramel apples.  As you’ve probably gleaned from the rest of this post, I don’t really want to settle for just caramel on my caramel apples.  I like toppings.  Three of my favorites are toasted pecans, mini chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows.  I also enjoy caramel and chocolate double dipped together, but that seemed a little complicated for this weekend’s endeavors.  So we set up what amounted to a caramel apple factory line.  First I made the caramel, let it cool, and then we dipped the sliced apples in different combinations of our liking.  We opted for sliced apples because they’re easier to eat, and because it gave us more variety.  And what can I say?  They were a huge hit.  It was decided, in fact, that princesses love caramel apples.

photo by dan

Caramel Apples

4 apples

Caramel (recipe here)

2 cups mini marshmallows

2 cups mini chocolate chips

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Make your caramel, set it aside to cool slightly.

Set out your toppings in different bowls.  Slice your apples.  When your caramel is just a little warmer than room temperature, dip your apples in caramel, and then whatever toppings you like.

Arrange on a plate and chill for 30 minutes.