The Best Way To Melt Caramel For A Perfectly Coated Apple
Making your own caramel apples can be a fun activity for adults and kids alike, resulting in a tasty fall treat that is totally worth the mess. It can take a bit of practice to coat your apples perfectly, but one helpful tip is to use melted caramel candies. Simply buy a bag of soft caramel candies, place them (unwrapped, of course) in a saucepan with a splash of water or milk to thin it out, and cook for a couple of minutes while stirring. Alternatively, you can microwave the caramels in a bowl with water or milk until they melt. Add more liquid as you see fit, a splash at a time.
Getting the right consistency is difficult when trying to make your own caramel from scratch. If the temperature is too low when carmelizing the sugar, the caramel will end up too soft, which might taste good but won't maintain its structure on your apple and will result in a gooey, melted mess. But if the temperature is too high, it'll burn or be too hard to bite into. Since no one wants a dripping caramel apple or to break a tooth, try melting caramel candies instead. Individually wrapped chewy or soft caramels have the perfect texture for caramel apples. By thinning the melted caramels with liquid, you can evenly coat your apples, preparing them to be dipped in all kinds of yummy sweet and salty toppings.
How to get the caramel to stick
It can be challenging to get the caramel to stick to the apples when you make these yourself. A crucial step to prevent the caramel from sliding right off the fruit is to wash the apples thoroughly beforehand to remove their waxy coating. Just as a person might slip and fall on a waxed floor, the caramel will slip right off a waxy apple.
Luckily, removing the wax is relatively simple. One option is to dip the apples in boiling water for a few seconds, let them sit until cool enough to be handled, and dry thoroughly with a towel. Or, you can soak them in hot water, optionally adding a few drops of vinegar to help dissolve the wax. After soaking them, gently scrub the apples to remove any remaining residue. It's also crucial to ensure the apples are completely dry and cooled when you dip them in the caramel since it won't stick well to wet or warm apples.
Other useful tips for tasty apples
One of the best parts of making caramel apples is dipping them in crunchy toppings like peanuts, Oreos, pretzels, toffee, and sprinkles. To get the toppings to stick onto your caramel apples, dip them while the caramel is still hot. So have your toppings ready so you can immediately dip them after they're coated with caramel.
Not everyone is a fan of caramel apples, which might have more to do with how you eat them rather than their taste. If biting into a caramel apple on a stick doesn't sound appealing, try making sheet pan caramel apples instead. To make this version, line apple slices onto a sheet pan and pour caramel and toppings over them. They have all the delicious caramel and toppings that regular caramel apples do but in a more convenient sliced arrangement. They're also easier to share. Sure, you can slice your whole caramel apples up to split amongst the group, but if you've ever tried this, you know it's not easy to cut through hardened caramel.