Caramel Apples

(American caramel-covered apples)

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Apples		6 each
Popsicle sticks, craft sticks or chopsticks		6 each

Heavy cream		2 cups
Brown sugar		2 cups
Butter, unsalted		1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons
Dark corn syrup		1/2 cup

Basic Steps: Impale → Boil → Dip → Chill

Wash and stem the apples. Insert sticks into the stem end of each apple to form a handle. Grease a baking sheet with butter or line it with parchment paper and set aside.
Add the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture and continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 245°F, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and set aside to cool somewhat, continuing to stir.
Dip each apple into the caramel, twirling it and using a spoon to cover all sides. As you finish each apple, set them on the greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. When finished with all apples, chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the caramel.

After dipping the apples in the caramel, they can then be roll in chopped peanuts, chopped walnuts, crushed toffee or little cinnamon candies. Melted white chocolate is often dripped over the finished apples
For a maple-flavored caramel, use 1/4 cup dark corn syrup and 1/4 cup maple syrup.

Caramel apples are a traditional autumn treat in the United States, especially popular around Halloween.