(This post was last updated on: 10/16/24.) I have been wanting to make caramel apples ever since we went to a friend’s wedding and I watched the bride-to-be and her maid of honor make them as gifts for the wedding guests. They just looked so yummy! I have never tried making caramel apples before, I don’t really know why. I’ll tell you how I did it so you can try our easy caramel apples recipe for yourself.
Maybe I was intimidated to make these. I thought it would be so much harder than it turned out to be. It didn’t take a lot of time, maybe an hour and a half from start to finish, including kitchen clean up and wrapping the apples as gifts.
I will say the only down side to making caramel apples is the clean up. Once the caramel and chocolate harden, it’s very difficult to clean up. So I recommend cleaning as you go, which is what I tried to do as I went through each step. And it worked out well since the apples needed to set in between each coating anyways.
Ingredients to Make Caramel Apples:
- 6 Granny Smith Apples
- 6 Popsicle Sticks
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
- Wax Paper
- 1 Bag Kraft Caramels
- 2 TBSP. Water
- 1 Package Chocolate Candy Coating (Almond Bark)
- 2 Cups Crushed Pecans
- 2 Cups Mini Chocolate Chips
- 6 Clear Cellophane Gift Bags & Ribbons
How to Make Caramel Apples:
- Remove apple stems, wash, dry and chill the apples in the fridge overnight (helps the caramel coating stick)
- Place 1 popsicle stick into the top of each apple
- Place a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet, spray the wax paper with nonstick cooking spray
- Unwrap all of the caramels, place them in a medium sized saucepan
- Add 2 TBSP. of water, mix
- Melt the caramel on the stovetop over medium heat, constantly stirring (this took approx. 10 mins)
- Dip each apple into the caramel mixture to coat approx. 3/4 of the apple
- Tilt the saucepan slightly so you can roll the apple in the caramel to get an even coating
- Let the excess caramel drip off the apple- back into saucepan, then place each apple on the baking sheet
- Let the caramel set as you clean up the kitchen and prep for the next step
- Place the crushed pecans and mini chocolate chips separately on small plates
- Break up the chocolate candy coating and place in a medium saucepan
- Stir over low heat until melted (this took approx. 8-10 mins.)
- Dip each apple into the chocolate mixture, tilt the saucepan slightly so you can roll the apple to get an even coating
- Let the excess chocolate drip off the apple- back into the saucepan
- Immediately roll each apple in either the pecans or mini chocolate chips
- Place each apple back onto the baking sheet
- Let the chocolate set as you clean up the kitchen and prep for the next step
- Once the chocolate and toppings have completely cooled and set, you can place the apples into individual clear cellophane bags and tie with a cute & festive ribbon
I thought these caramel apples would make a cute holiday gift this year. They are an especially good inexpensive DIY gift idea. Please try our easy caramel apples recipe and let me know how yours turned out by leaving a comment below. If you have any tips on how to make caramel apples, I would love to read your recommendations!
