Caramel Apples: A Festival Treat In Your Own Home

Fall is upon us, which means the arrival of our much anticipated Apple Harvest Festival is here! What better way to celebrate the Apple Harvest Festival than with a homemade Caramel Apple recipe?

When you go apple picking this season, try branching out from a traditional apple pie or apple crisp and make these simple and delicious Caramel Apples. They're much easier to prepare than you'd expect and a treat your kids will enjoy making with you in the kitchen.

Only a few ingredients required and you can make your own caramel sauce perfect for dipping. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare and provides you and your family with a fun and delicious snack to make together. I Hope you enjoy it!

Caramel Apples
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes: 6
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
6 sticks
6 small apples, stems removed
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
*need a candy thermometer, which you can find at Walmart in Southington.

Directions
Wash and dry your apples and insert the sticks into the top of each.  Then prepare an ice bath.

In a sauce pan, combine your cream, sugar, corn syrup, and butter.  While stirring constantly, bring your mixture to a boil over medium/high heat and clip a candy thermometer to the pan.  Continue to stir and cook your sauce until it reaches 245 degrees, about 12-15 minutes.

Place your pan into the ice bath to stop the caramel from continuing to cook and stir for about 20 seconds to smooth the caramel into the correct thick consistency.  Then immediately dip your apples into the caramel, spooning the mixture to coat 3/4 to the top.  Transfer your apples to parchment paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes or overnight.

*My cooking time was closer to 15-18 minutes. The caramel sauce was chewy and delicious, but next time I might try cooking it to a slightly higher degree because the caramel ran off the apples more than I would have liked.

For more recipes, visit Chelsea's blog at www.sprinklesofparsley.com.