These Gourmet Style Dipped Apples are drenched in homemade caramel that knocks the socks off of those little plastic-wrapped caramels you find on the baking aisle. If you want amazing, impressive, gourmet style apples- the kind you can bust your wallet buying in a fancy little boutique store, this is it!
Ingredients and Supplies Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Ingredients
- Apples – Any variety will work here, so choose your favorite. This recipe will make more than enough caramel for at least 12 medium sized apples.
- Dark brown sugar – Can you make this with light brown sugar? Sure. But dark brown sugar will give you a deeper flavor.
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can. That’s what this recipe was designed for, so I can’t guarantee the outcome if you substitute something else.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Dark corn syrup – Find dark corn syrup near the maple syrup on the baking aisle. It provides a deep, warm flavor to the caramel.
- Pure maple syrup – Yes, it’s worth it to get the good stuff!
- Vanilla extract
- Molasses
- Salt
- Assorted toppings for dipping – Toffee bits, chopped nuts, coconut, crushed cookies or cand bars, etc.
- Chocolate – Optional, for melting and drizzling.
Supplies
- Popsicle sticks or chop sticks
- Zip-top bags – To drizzle melted chocolate, if desired.
- Candy thermometer – Don’t be intimidated by the fact that this caramel requires a thermometer; it’s seriously easy caramel and really simple to work with. Definitely don’t skip the thermometer though. It provides much needed information on when the caramel is cooked and when it’s ready to dip.
Tips and Tricks Before You Start
Making dipped apples isn’t complicated, but I can tell you it is so, so much easier with a few tricks, so I’m going to give you all of the ones I’ve got!
- First of all, you’ll want to wash your apples well (I usually use a tiny bit of soap to remove any waxy film) and then dry them completely.
- I’ve found it helps to chill the apples because when they’re cold, the caramel sticks and sets quicker. So after the sticks are all in, place them in the fridge to chill while you do everything else.
- It also helps to get all of your toppings ready before you even start. When working with candy, you want to be ready to go as soon as it reaches a certain temperature, so start with a clean kitchen, open sink space, and get your toppings and work space prepared first.
- If you have a non-stick pot I suggest using it; caramel and sweetened condensed milk can burn fairly easily in stainless steel.
- When you’re choosing a bowl to put your cooked caramel in, choose the smallest bowl possible that will fit all of the caramel; that will make dipping easier. And a tall, narrower bowl is better than a wide, shallow one. I also like to just dip right in the pot on the stove top- this way you adjust the heat to keep it at a good dipping temperature.
- Don’t dip your apples right away. Use your candy thermometer and dip when your caramel reaches about 200°F. This temperature is warm enough for easy dipping and cool enough to cling to the apples.
- If you dip your apples in toppings right after the caramel, the toppings will slide right off and you’ll be stuck with a big gloppy ugly mess. So just be patient and keep dipping the apples in caramel and let them set slightly before you dip in toppings. This takes a bit of trial and error and testing depending on what toppings you are using.
How to Make Gourmet Style Dipped Apples with Homemade Caramel
Step 1: Prep Apples and Toppings
- Wash and dry your apples. Insert popsicle sticks or skewers right into the space the stem grows and pop them in the fridge.
- Make sure your toppings are ready to go. Have a pan with a silicone mat or buttered foil ready for your freshly dipped apples.
Step 2: Make the Caramel
- All you have to do for the caramel is dump all of the ingredients in a big pot: dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, sweetened condensed milk, dark corn syrup, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, molasses, and salt. Stir it until everything is melted and dissolved. Then turn up the heat and boil it until it reaches temperature.
- It works best to cool your caramel down a bit to the perfect temperature for dipping (all the details are in the recipe). I like keeping it on the stove top because I can control the temperature.
Step 3: Dip and Decorate Your Apples
- Once your caramel has cooled to around 200°F, grab your refrigerated apples and plunge them in, one at a time, allowing the excess to run off into the bowl.
- Flip the apples upside-down for a few seconds and then twirl them around. Before I place them on my baking sheet, I use a spoon to just gently scrape excess off the bottom so you don’t end up with a huge pool of caramel.
- By the time you finish dipping all the apples, the first ones should be ready for toppings. Pull them off your sheet and don’t worry if some of the caramel sticks to the sheet, or pulls off the bottom of the apple. Use your hands to gently press the pooled caramel around the bottom of the apple. This caramel is great; it’s soft enough to mold and handle, but not so soft that it’s sticky and messy.
- Then you can go crazy with the decorations. Depending on what you’re using, you can either roll your apple in the topping, or use your hands to gently press them into the caramel. If you want, have some melted chocolate ready and you can dip right over the caramel. Chocolate tends to be a little thicker, so dip it less than you want the final apple to be dipped, and use a knife to scrape off excess chocolate on the bottom. When you then dip in something else, like chopped peanuts for example, the nuts will sort of push the chocolate further up the apple.
- Once they’re all dipped, you can decorate with more chocolate. Place some melted chocolate in a heavy duty zip-top bag and cut the end off. (You can actually melt chocolate chips right in the bag in the microwave and just smash them around until melted and smooth) and then drizzle away.
- Chill for at least an hour to allow toppings to set, then gift or enjoy!
Topping Ideas
Be creative and have fun! Some of the things I love to use are: crushed cookies or candy bars, graham cracker crumbs, chopped nuts, toffee bits, and toasted coconut. It’s fun coming up with new combinations and finding things that look as pretty as they are delicious! Here are some of my favorites from this round:
- S’mores Apple: Carmel dipped and rolled in crushed graham crackers. Marshmallows pressed in by hand and drizzled in chocolate.
- Caramel +crushed butterfingers
- Caramel dipped and rolled in toasted almonds, and toasted coconut with dried sweet cherries (just pressed in by hand) and white chocolate.
- Caramel dipped in white chocolate (I suggest white candy melts or almond bark as it’s more fool proof than white chocolate) and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Tip: You’ll want to let your white chocolate layer set a bit before you roll in cinnamon sugar.
- Caramel dipped in honey roasted peanuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I double the caramel recipe?
Yep, as long as you watch your thermometer and follow the instructions for cooking times, this should double just fine.
Can I make the caramel ahead of time and reheat?
I’ve experimented with this, but I found it works best fresh. The more times you reheat it, it will produce crystallization and not be quite as smooth.
Can I transfer the finished caramel to a crock pot?
I prefer to keep this on the stove top where I can more carefully monitor the temperature .
Storing and Other Tips
- Wrap finished, cooled caramel apples in cellophane and gift or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Caramel Apple Fondue: I also wanted to mention that you can easily turn something like this into a fun party food. Just put the warm caramel into bowls, or a fondue pot and put all of your toppings in little bowls. Slice a bunch of apples and just let people dip the apples into the caramel and then into a topping. We did this as a family last night and my kids LOVED it. It’s so fun and so easy. It would make a great dessert buffet for a party!
- To cut: Caramel apples can be a pain to just bite into, so just take a sharp knife and slice both sides off the apple, on either side of the stick. Then slice off the remaining two sides, and slice the halves into slices.
Homemade Caramel for Apple Dipping
Gourmet-style caramel apples are easier than you might think! This luxurious caramel is perfect for dipping and topping crisp autumn apples to gift or enjoy at home.
Servings + apples
Equipment
Ingredients
Caramel
- 1 pound dark brown sugar about 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Caramel Apples
- 12 medium sized apples that’s a pretty conservative measurement, this makes a lot of caramel
- popsicle sticks or chopsticks
- assorted toppings for dipping toffee bits, chopped nuts, coconut, crushed cookies or candy bars, etc.
- Optional: melted chocolate in zip-top bags
Instructions
Prep Apples
- Wash and dry apples; place sticks in cores and place on a baking sheet in the fridge to chill. Prepare all toppings in bowls and have them ready to go.
Prepare Caramel
- Combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 ½-quart nonstick saucepan (about 3-4 inches deep, at least). Stir with wooden or silicone spatula over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush or scraping with spatula, about 15 minutes.
- Attach a clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean spatula and occasionally brushing/scraping down sides of pan, about 12 minutes.
- Pour caramel into a bowl. Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel. Cool to 200°F, about 20 minutes. If it cools too much just heat it up a little.
- While caramel cools, line 1-2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or buttered foil. Set up decorations and melted chocolates.
Dip and Decorate
- Holding stick, dip 1 apple into 200°F caramel, submerging all but very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Tip: it helps to have a silicone spatula or spoon. You can use this to kind of pour caramel over your apple as well. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. If needed, gently scrape the bottom of the apple to remove excess caramel. Place coated apple on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples and caramel, spacing apples apart (caramel will pool a bit). If caramel becomes too thick to dip into, gently heat on stove top or in microwave, or add 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream and briefly whisk caramel in bowl over low heat to thin.
- By the time you have dipped all the apples, the first ones should be ready partially set enough to add toppings. If not, chill in fridge for a few minutes. Lift 1 apple from foil. Using hand, press pooled caramel around apple. Then firmly press decorations into the caramel and return to baking sheet.
- If desired dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in nuts or candy. Or drizzle melted chocolate over caramel-coated apples and sprinkle with decorations. Chill until decorations are set, about 1 hour. Cover; chill up to 1 week or wrap in cellophane bags for gift giving.
Notes
- Wrap finished, cooled caramel apples in cellophane and gift or store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Nutrition information is approximate. It was calculated using 1 average-sized apple and 1/12 of the caramel recipe (which is likely more than will actually stick to the apple). It does not include any additional toppings.
Nutrition
Calories: 569kcal, Carbohydrates: 103g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 138mg, Potassium: 419mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 95g, Vitamin A: 664IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 162mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 569kcal
Cost: $20
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Questions & Reviews
I don’t have a candy thermometer nor have I ever heard of one. Is it okay to just watch it and guess when it’s done rather than running out and trying to find this certain thermometer? Thanks! 🙂
Nope, guessing is actually not a good idea when you’re dealing with candy. However you can drop a little caramel into ice water to check the consistency. Honestly, a candy thermometer is not hard to find; they sell them right in the baking aisle of most grocery stores and they cost just a few bucks. It’s worth picking one up!
These look so great! How ling will they staygood and fresh, if stored in the fridge?
Up to a week.
Yum! I want it RIGHT NOW! I guess I’ll be heading to the grocery store for apples today. Thanks Sara! 🙂
I silently chuckled when you said we could eat our caramel apple over the next few days, it was gone before midnight that night! The best part of the HUGE apple, everyone was able to eat a piece or two. And I have to say, either you know me really well, or guessed just right, the combination you picked for me would have been my first choice!
I know you 😉
If you were going to make these as gifts, how far ahead do you think you could do it and they still be fresh tasting? (Is that wording correct?lol)
I think your recipe sounds great. I make pecan rolls for Christmas with caramel that I make, but yours sounds much better. I am going to try it this year and see how it works! Thanks for sharing!
I attempted caramel apples last year. Everything slid off. I thought it was because the caramel recipe on the caramel bag said to add water and it was too runny, but now I wonder if it’s because I didn’t have chilled apples and we added the toppings pretty quick. I will have to attempt them again with this homemade caramel, which looks TO DIE FOR!!! Love the Apple-zillas. I have never seen any so huge before!! Awesome!
Those look sooo good! I made some a few weeks ago with a similar caramel recipe, but then I dipped them completely in white chocolate, and then sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. I think that’s my all time favorite caramel apple!
So is this like an awesome bakery quality caramel then?
I’m asking because long ago when I worked at a grocery store ….. we had the most kick-butt caramel apples EVER! Creamy, smooth, and thick but not messy! LOVED IT!! They started to sell the caramel in containers, but I shortly moved and never had any luck finding a caramel that compared 🙁
In any case, I think I’m making these this week!
Yep- totally bakery quality caramel 🙂
thanks! now I have to make it!!! LOL 😉
Wowza! It’s about that time of year again for caramel apples; I had a neighbor who gave them out as trick or treats on Halloween night when I was a girl so the memory of caramel apples always stuck with me as a Halloween treat. Perfect timing! Healthy too! Yeah, not really, but I’m getting a whole serving of fruit in!