Homemade Apple Pie Caramel Apples are a must this time of year!
Apple Pie Caramel Apples – step by step recipe along with all the tips and tricks to get them right.
Have you ever had an Apple Pie Caramel Apple? If not, you must! They really are a taste sensation. I’m so excited to share with you the recipe along with all tips to make them at home just like the kind you can buy in the candy store. Did you know that in stores, these pretty apples sell around six dollars each?! But did you know that you can make them at home for only $1 each?! …and the best part is that your friends and family will think you are ah-mazing when you deliver one of these babies!
*This is one of those recipes we recommend reading through a couple of times before starting…lots of little tips to make sure they turn out right.
Time: 2-3 hours
Apple Pie Caramel Apples
Ingredients:
For the Homemade Caramel:
1 cup butter
2 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apples:
15 – 18 apples (we used granny smith)
popsicle sticks (you can buy them cheaper in the craft section of most stores)
White Chocolate Layer:
2 12 ounce bags white chocolate chips (we used Guittard…it’s the best!)
1 teaspoon butter
Cinnamon Sugar Layer:
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Wash and dry all your apples really well. Remove all the apple sticker and stems. This recipe makes about 15 medium sized caramel apples, but you can always buy a couple more apples because often the caramel goes a little further. We’ve tried using other apples, but Granny Smith Apples taste the best for this recipe. When you wash them, don’t be afraid to use a little dish soap to help wash them if you need to. Drying them really well before starting is also very important.
Poke a popsicle stick into the top of each apple. You can use a heavy drinking glass to help hammer the stick into the apple if you need to. Place all the apples on a pan and put them in the freezer while you make the homemade caramel.
To make the homemade caramel:
Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon. Cook the caramel over medium high heat, stirring constantly. The temperature of the caramel should read 235-240 on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage) when it’s ready. It should take about 14 minutes. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can just go with the recommended amount of time to cook the caramel and it should work well. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Take your pan of apples out of the freezer, set the apples aside and line the pan with tin foil and spray it with cooking spray. OR if you have a silicone mat to place the apples on, I would use it here.
When you take the apples out of the freezer, use a dry towel to wipe the apples dry again. This will help the caramel to stick to the apples better. Don’t forget to let the excess caramel drip off back into the bowl and also turn the apple upside down to let the caramel really adhere to the apple for a smooth finish. Set all the dipped apples on the cold, lined pan and place it in your fridge.
Once all the apples are dipped in caramel, place them on the tray in the fridge while you melt the white chocolate. You can leave the apples in the fridge for up to an hour to give the caramel a chance to really set.
Use real white chocolate chips rather than the melties for this recipe… it will taste so much better. Using a double boiler, to melt the white chocolate chips and the shortening (rather than using a microwave). It will help the white chocolate have a smoother texture.
Using a spatula knife, spread (don’t dip!) the apples into the melted white chocolate. If you dip them into the white chocolate, it will put too much chocolate on the apple causing the chocolate to droop, which will look like a big mess. We would recommend using a small spatula knife spreading the white chocolate quickly around the apple, this way you don’t put too much on. You need to work quite quickly when doing this step as the cold apples make the chocolate set really fast. Have the bowl of cinnamon/sugar mix right next to the bowl of melted chocolate for quick application.
Here’s a tip for eating them with ease. Cut them into 8 pieces just like this. It’s a great way to share one too!
After adding everything up, you can make about 15 caramel apples for around 15 dollars! These sell at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for about 6 dollars each. These would also make great gifts wrapped up in cellophane with a big bow!
Have you ever made these at home? I’d love to hear how it worked!
Apple Pie Caramel Apples
Ingredients
For the Homemade Caramel:
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 - 18 Granny Smith apples
- popsicle sticks
White Chocolate Layer:
- 2 12 ounce bags white chocolate chips we used Guittard...it's the best!
- 1 teaspoon butter
Cinnamon Sugar Layer:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
-
Wash and dry all your apples really well. Remove all the apple sticker and stems. This recipe makes about 15 medium sized caramel apples, but you can always buy a couple more apples because often the caramel goes a little further. We've tried using other apples, but Granny Smith Apples taste the best for this recipe. When you wash them, don’t be afraid to use a little dish soap to help wash them if you need to. Drying them really well before starting is also very important.
-
Poke a popsicle stick into the top of each apple. You can use a heavy drinking glass to help hammer the stick into the apple if you need to. Place all the apples on a pan and put them in the freezer while you make the homemade caramel.
Make the Homemade Caramel:
-
Melt the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon. Cook the caramel over medium high heat, stirring constantly. The temperature of the caramel should read 235-240 on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage) when it's ready. It should take about 14 minutes. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can just go with the recommended amount of time to cook the caramel and it should work well. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
-
Take your pan of apples out of the freezer, set the apples aside and line the pan with tin foil and spray it with cooking spray. OR if you have a silicone mat to place the apples on, I would use it here.
-
When you take the apples out of the freezer, use a dry towel to wipe the apples dry again. This will help the caramel to stick to the apples better. Don’t forget to let the excess caramel drip off back into the bowl and also turn the apple upside down to let the caramel really adhere to the apple for a smooth finish. Set all the dipped apples on the cold, lined pan and place it in your fridge.
-
Once all the apples are dipped in caramel, place them on the tray in the fridge while you melt the white chocolate. You can leave the apples in the fridge for up to an hour to give the caramel a chance to really set.
-
Use real white chocolate chips rather than the melties for this recipe... it will taste so much better. Use a double boiler, to melt the white chocolate chips and the butter (rather than using a microwave). It will help the white chocolate have a smoother texture.
-
Using a spatula knife, spread (don’t dip!) the apples into the melted white chocolate. If you dip them into the white chocolate, it will put too much chocolate on the apple causing the chocolate to droop, which will look like a big mess. We would recommend using a small spatula knife spreading the white chocolate quickly around the apple, this way you don’t put too much on. You need to work quite quickly when doing this step as the cold apples make the chocolate set really fast. Have the bowl of cinnamon/sugar mix right next to the bowl of melted chocolate for quick application.
Recipe Notes
*You can buy popsicle sticks cheaper in the craft section of most stores.
Making This Recipe? Tag us on Instagram: @NoBiggie using the hashtag #NoBiggieRecipes, so we can see what you are making in the kitchen!
More Caramel Recipes we LOVE:
–Homemade Salted Caramel Dip for Apples
–Salted Caramel Cheesecakes
-More Gourmet Caramel Apples to try!
Melissa @ Bless this Mess says
This was super helpful! I made some last week and it was so much harder than it looked (and I’m a big time candy maker/baker/cook). I think that freezing the apples before hand will make all the difference! Thank you!
kami says
Oh good! I hope it helps! 🙂
Amanda says
These look great!! How do you store the completed apples? Must they be refrigerated? Thanks!
kami says
Yes, keep them in the refrigerator up to a week. Just be sure to give them time at home temp before trying to bite into one. 🙂
Amy@theidearoom says
Ok, these are the most beautiful caramel apples I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing! Pinned!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
These caramel apples are just GORGEOUS Kami!
kami says
Thanks Trish!!
Angie says
Any idea if these can be double dipped in the caramel before adding the vanilla coating? It’s my most favorite part!
kami says
Sure! I guess you could try it! You might need to refrigerate in between coats.
tanisha says
Thanks for this post. I use to buy these all the time whenever I took trips to Seattle. Now I can just make ’em at home.
Holly N says
These look so incredibly delicious… and your photos are stunning. I wish I could bite into one right now!!
marci says
When I make caramel chocolate apples, i melt the caramel but not the chocolate. I cut the solid chocolate (and Walnuts or pecans) into big chunks via food processor. I dip the apples in melted caramel then roll them in the chocolate walnut chunks mixed together. And then I let them set up in the fridge on Parchment paper. Much easier and still beautiful.
Heather says
I made these last night and they turned out wonderfully! So beautiful, and my hubby says it was the best caramel recipe he’s ever had. It worked best for me (after trial and error) to do a thin coating of chocolate, let it set, then do another thin coating to stick the cinnamon sugar to. Then I got nice coverage, without the chocolate droop you warned against. Thanks for the great recipe!
kami says
Oh good! You bet!
Lilly says
Am I the only one who’s missing the step where the shortening was used??
kami says
Hi Lilly!
We just updated the recipe to answer your question. You basically add in the shortening when you melt the white chocolate to prevent it from cracking.
Sandra A says
How would you be able to make it as a apple cheesecake. In LA and TN we had carmel cheesecake apples and we couldn’t get enough of them
Melanie says
Do you just roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture? Sprinkle it on? It just says to have the cinnamon sugar mixture next to the chocolate for quick application, but doesn’t mention the best way to apply.
kami says
Hi Melanie! Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on while the white chocolate is still warm and unset on the apple. Hope that helps! 🙂
Lauren says
So I’ve attempted these twice now. My caramel is a lot darker than yours and a whole lot thicker. What am I doing wrong? undercooking it or overcooking it? it doesn’t go on like a glaze like yours does. Please help 🙁
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Stacey says
Can the Carmel be saved and reheated?
kami says
Hi Stacey! The answer to your question is: no, the caramel can not be reheated. If it cooks longer it will begin to thicken more. The best thing to do is put the remaining caramel onto a lightly greased piece of foil/parchment paper or silicone mat. Then roll it and almost make little caramel candies. Keep them refrigerated, and they will be quite sticky. I just let my kids eat whatever is leftover.
Rose @ Rose Bakes says
Does this caramel stay soft or does it set up hard?
kami says
It’s still pretty soft.
Laura T says
Wow they are amazing I have done other caramel apples and my cost was around 2.00 dlls these tips will help a lot the next time we do a fundraised for my daughters field trips thanks for sharing
kami says
Thanks for sharing Laura!
Jessica says
Hi! I just finished making these for some teacher appreciation gifts and they look & taste just like the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!! Your instructions were so easy to follow and they turned out just like the picture. Thank You!
Stephanie says
I want to make these but.. when making caramel apples do the apples have to be cold? I !ade candy apple the other day and just washed them really well to get wax coating off…they turned out.
Also if u want to decorate caramel apples with smarties etc do u put them in right after u dip them? Just don’t want the ca Dy to all drip to bottom thanks.
Emlow says
SPOT ON!!! This tastes EXACTLY like RMCF apples. EXACTLY. Awesome recipe! Took 30 mintues. Turned out beautiful!
Juanita says
Hey I am 13 years old and I love cooking. I thought that for Halloween it would be fun to make caramel apples. Definitely worth all of my time, they turned out beautiful. We are going to make this a new family tradition!!! Thanks again
Kami says
Oh good! So happy you enjoyed them!
Elicia says
The Rocky Mountain apples aren’t in a refrigerated area, are these a must to be refrigerated? I’m asking bc I want to add chocolate and stuff to them but I don’t want them to sweat against cellophane or wrapping.
Thank you!
Kami says
Hi Elicia! I’m not sure how long you could get away with keeping them at room temp, but it’s worth a try!
Jennilyn says
So I followed all the instructions but my caramel was super thick…I had to spread it onto the apples. It wouldn’t just slide, so I’m sure they will taste great but it’s not as pretty. Did I just cook the caramel too long? I timed it for 14 min…let me know if you have any suggestions!
Jennilyn says
Okay I just got them out of the fridge and the caramel was teeth chipping hard 😂 I chipped off the caramel and washed the apples and I’m going to try again…how can I get my caramel to be soft?
Kami says
Hi Jennilyn! I’m so sorry to hear you’re having trouble! I think it was cooked on too high of a temperature which caused it to go past the soft ball stage. Try cooking it on a slightly lower temp for the same amount of time, or you could buy a cheap candy thermometer so you won’t have the same problem in the future. Here’s the link to the one I use: http://amzn.to/2yi4x6N. You may also have used a light weight pan, using a heavier pan it will help too.
Jennilyn says
Thank you! I will try those suggestions
Marcie says
Can I suggest you edit your recipe? I feel like it is misleading to tell your readers to just cook the caramel on medium high for 14 minuets and it should work well. There are so many variables in ovens and temps that this can ruin the caramel and cause frustration.
Kami says
Thank you for the tip, and I’m sorry if you’ve had trouble with this recipe. Making candy is always tricky. The reason it’s 14 minutes is because it usually takes that amount of time (give or take a minute) to get the caramel to a soft ball stage. If you don’t have a candy thermometer. Here’s a candy thermometer link if you need one: http://amzn.to/2hOhoL9