An Apple A Day...

    We've got a vegetable crisper full of apples, waiting to be used up. They came from Palisade...and they're delicious, just by themselves. I've had a hankering for caramel apples -- but the ones at our local grocery stores have some kind of crumbly stuff on them, instead of nuts.

     Time to make my own. Here we go.

CARAMEL APPLES MADE EASY

You'll need this recipe, adapted from Food Network:

BASIC CARAMEL SAUCE

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half  (or whole milk)
4 tablespoons butter
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla (wait on this for a bit)

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring as you go, until thickened. (It should take 5-7 min.)  Stir in the vanilla and cook another minute, until it gets even thicker. Let cool, pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator. Makes about a cup.

Pinterest has links to a bunch of caramel apple recipes. Adventures of a DIY Mom has some helpful tips for caramel apples, as well. Just A Taste has some nice decorated apples, as well.

You'll also need:
*sharp-pointed sticks and wax paper
*chopped walnuts or pecans
*decorative sprinkles
*chocolate syrup  (Hershey's is a good brand)
*white frosting or a tube of icing, thinned

Wash apples, and push a stick through the center of each. Heat the caramel until boiling -- dip each apple in the sauce, then press gently into nuts and/or sprinkles. Let cool on wax paper, then drizzle with syrup or frosting. (Use the photo below for inspiration.) Once the apples are cool, keep in the fridge until they're inhaled. (And they will be.)

Here's Just A Taste's version

Caramel apple slice variation:  Core apples and cut into slices; dip into a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to prevent darkening, then arrange on a platter. Heat caramel sauce until warm, then set saucers of nuts and sprinkles nearby. Dip apples into caramel, then into your choice of additional goodies. (Drizzle frosting and syrup on the slices, as well.)

Snarf up -- and enjoy.