We’re excited to bring you The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Caramel Apples! We’ve tested and troubleshooted to make this the only guide you need to make the perfect caramel apples. We’ve made it all as easy as possible so you can have a stress-free experience and enjoy the process and of course the end result! You can make these just because, or give them as gifts to others. Today is always a good day for caramel apples!
Apple Choices for Homemade Caramel Apples:
By far the best apple to use is Granny Smith. It’s crunchy and tart, and it’s the absolute best accompaniment to super sweet caramel. Other good apple options are Honey Crisp and Fuji.
How to pick the best apples:
To get the right ratio of tart apples to sweet caramel, you should choose small to medium sized apples. Please don’t give me those big apples. Make sure it’s solid and doesn’t have any holes or soft spots.
Do I have to dip the whole apple?
Absolutely not! We love the look of whole caramelized apples, but you can always dip apple slices or wedges. Simply slice the apples or cut them into wedges and soak the slices in cold water with a little lemon juice added to prevent browning while soaking all the sliced ​​apples.
What kind of sticks can I use?
You have many options for the type of sticks you can use to skewer apples. We love the sturdiness of chunky skewers, but you can always use popsicle sticks, or any other stick option you can find!
Caramel options:
You can choose from several caramels to make caramel apples.
Dipping Tips:
Caramel that is too hot or too cold will not stick to your apples well. Once your caramel is at the right temperature, pour it into the slow cooker and turn it down to low. This will keep it at a constant temperature, ready for dipping!
Ingredients:
There are no rules for topping caramel apples! Nuts, candies, mini chocolate chips, double white chocolate and crushed sugar are just the tip of the iceberg!
Troubleshooting Tip: Why Does Caramel Slip?
If the caramel is too hot when you dip it, it will slide right off. We have found that the optimum temperature for maceration is between 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a 100% accurate digital thermometer, allow the caramel to cool back to that range before attempting to dip.
Troubleshooting Tip: Why are there air bubbles in my caramel?
Over stirring will definitely cause air bubbles to form in the caramel. Stirring adds air to the caramel, causing air bubbles that cannot be corrected afterwards. However, you can poke the air bubbles in the apples with a knife before hiding them with the topping.
Troubleshooting: Too Strong Caramel
If your caramel is too thick and hard, you can thin it out with a few tablespoons of milk.