Mike our middle son just called and said they would love to come for candy apples and did I have the stuff to make them? You cannot imagine how happy it makes me when my children and grandchildren want to come here to make something! The sense of peace to be able to say with no hesitation, "Sure I have everything we will need, come ahead."
Saturday with no warning became such a day! Mike offered to go by the store to pick up anything additionally we might need. Then soon he and Emily, followed shortly by Katie, were here twirling shinny red apples on Popsicle sticks through warm oozing caramel.
Soon a dozen treats stood hoping for a cooler season to welcome fall as the rains of the tired hurricane, whimpered thorough southern Indiana.
Ingredients for Caramel Apples:
12 small to medium juicy crisp apples washed and dried (Today we used Johnathan's.)
2 pounds of caramel ( I order 5 pound blocks from King Arthur Flour company during the cool months and keep on hand or use Kraft Caramel bits.)
12 sticks
2 C. crushed pretzels
2 C. mini chocolate chips
sprinkles
The most fool proof method I have found for this is to use one of the small 1 quart crock pots commonly used these days for hot dips. Just chunk up the caramel into uniform pieces, cover and turn on. Occasionally stir well. I find it takes 45 minutes or so but the caramel is perfectly melted and is much safer for youngsters to handle than a hot pan at the stove.
Wash, dry well, and insert the sticks into the stem end securely of each apple. Set them aside on sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper. If you have neither butter well a cookie sheet.
Meanwhile place the pretzels in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin or a can. Place the toppings you choose into flat shallow containers like soup bowls or pie dishes.
Now for the fun!! Twirl the apples in the warm caramel to coat. You may tip the container a bit when the caramel gets low to coat well. Using a flat edge scrape the excess from the bottom of each apple before rolling it in a topping. Then sit the finished treat aside on the paper or buttered pan to cool and harden.
If the caramel slides down from the top of the apple around the stick, simply use a small spoon to ladle a bit more caramel in place.
My but these look good enough to eat!! Plan to let them sit overnight to harden back up unless you have room to refrigerate them.
Oh I hope my girls if/when they have babies will call me to make something!
ReplyDeleteThose just look so yummy! So glad you got the joy of sharing your skills with those who mean the most to you! I think it is what we all aim for!
Thank you so much!! I have pictures of the girls, now 13 and 17 standing on chairs when they were little bitty things helping with cookies, pies, or whatever else we were making. Being Grandma is just the best. Now I do it all again with my little 4 year old grandsons. They are more fun than a barrel of monkeys! I have been Blessed indeed.
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