Homemade Caramel Apples
Tart apples wear a chewy, buttery cinnamon-vanilla caramel coating made from scratch for Halloween. A candy thermometer and cold, thoroughly dried apples help the caramel stay put. Allow 2 hours 50 minutes, including chilling and setting.
35 minutes, 10 Apples
Ingredients
| 10 | Small to medium Granny Smith apples, firm and unblemished |
| 1 cup (2 sticks) | Unsalted butter |
| 2 cups | Packed light brown sugar |
| 1 cup | Light corn syrup |
| one 14-oz can | Sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk |
| 1/2 tsp | Fine salt |
| 2 tsp | Vanilla extract |
| 1/2 tsp | Ground cinnamon |
Preparation
| 1. Scrub the apples under running water with a clean produce brush; do not use soap. |
| 2. Dip each apple in a pot of very hot water for 5 to 10 seconds using a slotted spoon to loosen the wax coating. |
| 3. Rub each apple firmly with a clean towel until no slippery wax remains; repeat the hot-water dip if needed. |
| 4. Rinse the apples under cool running water. |
| 5. Dry the apples completely with a clean towel, including the stem wells. |
| 6. Insert a sturdy food-safe caramel-apple stick into each apple through the stem end after removing the stem. |
| 7. Refrigerate the apples for 30 minutes before starting the caramel, then leave them chilled until dipping. |
| 8. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, not wax paper. |
| 9. Melt the butter in a deep, heavy-bottomed 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. |
| 10. Stir the brown sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk and salt into the melted butter until combined; keep the corn syrup for a smooth, chewy coating. |
| 11. Attach a candy thermometer with its tip immersed in the caramel but not touching the pan bottom. |
| 12. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously across the pan bottom, until the thermometer reads 240°F, about 15 to 25 minutes; temperature, not time, determines doneness . Hot caramel causes severe burns: keep children away and never touch or taste it while hot. |
| 13. Remove the saucepan from the heat at 240°F. |
| 14. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon carefully; the vanilla may make the caramel bubble. |
| 15. Cool the caramel to 190°F to 200°F, allowing about 20 minutes; it should coat rather than run straight off an apple and is still hot enough to burn. |
| 16. Wipe each chilled apple completely dry just before dipping to remove any condensation; take only one apple at a time from the refrigerator. |
| 17. Dip and rotate each apple by its stick in the caramel, leaving a small ring of apple exposed near the stem. |
| 18. Let excess caramel drip back into the pan before setting each apple on the silicone mat; allow about 15 minutes to coat the batch. |
| 19. Refrigerate the coated apples immediately for 1 hour, until the caramel is firm. |
| 20. Store the set apples in a covered container in the refrigerator at 40°F or below and eat within 3 days; apples with inserted sticks require refrigeration for food safety, not just texture. Keep total time out of refrigeration under 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, including serving and transport. |
| 21. Remove the sticks and slice the chilled apples into wedges just before serving. |
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