Tis the Season of Caramel Apples....Maybe Some Chocolate and Toffee

The apple in the photo is for purists, just caramel (and lots of it) and a mixture of toffee and chocolate. However, the options for gourmet apples are endless. Roll your caramel dipped apple in chopped toasted nuts or coconut, cookie crumbs, candy bits, whatever sounds good to you, before coating with melted chocolate. Each of these apples feeds about 6 people just slice in to wedges. They are decadent to say the least! Wrap finished apples in cellophane, tie with a ribbon and you've got a spectacular gift.

Ingredients
3 packages (14 ounces each) caramel candies
2 tablespoons water
6-8 large Granny Smith apples
6-8 heavy wooden skewers or sticks

melted chocolate and/or white chocolate
see directions below for amounts

Optional:

Toffee Chips

chopped peanuts or other nuts
or
toasted coconut
or
candy sprinkles
or
Oreo cookie crumbs
or
chopped candy bars

waxed paper
Instructions
Makes 6-8 Large Apples
Line a large cookie sheet with heavily buttered waxed paper, set aside.

Wash and completely dry apples. Insert a stick through stems. Sometimes it helps to use two sticks or even a fork, as these Apples become quite heavy during the dipping process and a single stick may break. If you plan on using nuts coconut or any of the other optional coating ingredients get them ready by placing in a small bowl.

Combine caramels and water in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until caramels melt. Cool slightly. You can also use your slow cooker to melt the caramel, like we did in the photo (we were making a lot of apples). Dip each apple in caramel mixture, coating evenly, use a spoon to help you cover the top part of the apple. Allow caramel to set slightly and then dip in caramel again (that's right, two coatings of caramel -- I warned you these Apples were decadent!).

1.

After the second caramel dip, while the caramel is still liquid, roll the apple in the nuts or coconut or other coating ingredients. Coating the apple with one of these ingredients helps to keep the apple from sticking to the waxed paper, as well as give texture and flavor, but the Apples are still great without this step.

2.3.

Next melt the chocolate either in a double boiler, a microwave, or in a glass bowl set inside a slow cooker which is filled part way with hot water as in photo 2. You\'ll notice I didn't say how much chocolate to melt. It depends on how decadent you want the apple to be.I used about 3 oz. of chocolate per apple. If using the bowl in the slow cooker method be very careful not to get even a single drop of water in the chocolate or it will seize and become grainy.


Dip the bottom of the caramel apple in chocolate. Use a spoon to drizzle melted chocolate over the top, completely encasing the apple in chocolate.Allow chocolate to set,before wrapping in cellophane.