Caramel Apples - A Tutorial

Caramel Apples – A Tutorial

I absolutely love, and I mean LOVE caramel apples. My favorite caramel apples are from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. My husband knew my love for caramel apples, and when I was pregnant with Mia he accomplished the most important task of a husband -- he satisfied a craving. About five weeks before I was due, Curtis spent his last spring break of law school in San Diego visiting with his grandma. I’m not going to say I was okay with this seeing as my due date was somewhat close… So, I decided to milk it for all it was worth. I knew he had a layover in Denver and I knew that there was a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store in the Denver airport so I may have dropped a few subtle hints J. I was only expecting one caramel apple, but my hubby came off the plane with FOUR of them! It totally made up for his week-long absence so close to my due date!

I’m currently living in Arizona and while there are Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores here, I’m not too crazy about shelling out $8+ for a caramel apple nor am I crazy about the 40 minute drive to get them. So I roped my mom and sister-in-laws, Beth and Bridgette into helping me make them. Working in a tag-team effort it took us about three and a half hours from start to finish.

Here are the steps we took to create our scrumptious treats.

Step 1: Assemble the tools.

The special tools we used (outside of bowls, spoons, etc) were: corn on the cob sticks (I like them better than popsicle sticks for this project), squeeze bottles/condiment bottles, a funnel, parchment paper, and cellophane bags.

Step 2: Assemble the ingredients.

Unwrap the caramels and gather the toppings the apples will be rolled in. We used the following for toppings to make an endless variety of apples (not all toppings are pictured below): marshmallows, mini Reece’s Pieces, crushed Butterfingers, mini M & Ms, nut topping, toffee bits, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and cinnamon sugar.

Step 3: Prep the toppings.

Place the toppings in separate bowls and cut the marshmallows in half so they will adhere better to the apples. Try and keep your toppings small, that way they won’t slide down the caramel apples as much as larger toppings would.

Step 4: Prep the apples.

You need firm, crisp apples. If possible, buy apples that aren't waxed. The wax will keep the caramel from sticking. If yours are waxed, wash them with baking soda or give them a quick dunk in boiling water to melt the wax off. Dry them thoroughly and remove the stems. Insert a stick into the stem end--about 3/4 of an inch so that they are in there firmly. You can pierce the apple with a knife first to make the sticks go in more easily. Refrigerate the apples. This will make the caramel harden faster.

Step 5: Make the caramel.

Add 2 tablespoons of water per bag of candies. Zap them in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes. Stir after each minute, and stop heating them as soon as they’re all melted.

Step 6: Dip the apples in the caramel.

You can spoon some of the caramel on, too. Lift the apple out of the caramel and let the excess drip off. I scrape the bottom with a spoon so you don’t have a ton of caramel pooling up at the bottom of your apple when you place it on your parchment-lined cookie sheet.  

Step 7: Roll the apples in toppings.

Roll the apples in the toppings. Use your hand to press the goodies in and help them stay in place. Place the apples on parchment paper that's been greased or coated with cooking spray. We found that after dipping 6 apples or so we would stop and circle back around beginning with the apples we dipped first and began rolling them in the toppings. If we waited any later than that the apples would begin to harden. If we rolled the apples too soon they would end up being a big, goopy mess.

Let the apples chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before you drizzle them with chocolate.

Sept 8: Melt the chips.

For every 12 ounces of chips you will need 2 T of vegetable oil.

Put chips in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons canola oil. Microwave power varies, so exact times cannot be recommended.  Cook on medium power, checking at 30 second intervals, stirring each time. Stop heating when most, but not all, of the chips are melted--there should be a few chunks left. Stir until it is smooth and chips are completely melted.  Be careful not to overcook.

You can drizzle the melted chocolate onto the apples with a spoon. But, I like to pour the chocolate into a squeeze bottle using a funnel. I find there is less mess this way.

Set your bottles of chocolate in either a tall glass or jar of hot water to keep the chocolates nice and melted inside the bottles.

Step 9: Drizzle the apples with the melted chocolates.

I set my apple on an inverted glass to make decorating it easier.

When you’re happy with your decorated apple, return it to a parchment-covered baking sheet and allow the apples to chill for another 30 minutes.

Tray 1



Tray 2



Tray 3

Step 10: Wrap the apples.

I put a paper baking cup on the bottom of the apple before wrapping it in the cellophane. This makes it easier to get the apples in and out of the bags without sticking.