A delicious Fall Treat - and one of my favorites!

Josh doesn't believe me when I say that I can eat a caramel apple everyday!  Seriously, they are so good!  I would love to be a judge in a caramel apple contest!  I don't want any of that fake stuff either - I want the good stuff :)

 

I bought Pampered Chef's Candy Thermometer last year and was hoping to use it this year...well, I used it - and it works great!  Here are my materials-all ready to go and looking delicious!  I used honey crisp apples too...they are SO good!

 

 

When following directions, make sure you read the ENTIRE recipe!  I am usually so good about this; however, I skipped one step - one that I learned VERY quickly just how important it is...

 

GREASE THE WAX PAPER BEFORE PUTTING CARAMEL APPLES ON IT!

 

I did have a bowl of mini M&M's and chopped party nuts...

 

Delicious honey crisp - and the best - apples!

This was so easy it's sickening :)  I was able to do this while Josh was away at a Viking's football party and I had all 3 kids at home!  Believe me, if I can find time to make these, so can you!  The first time took me a little bit longer (45 min.), but now that I know what I'm doing, I can easily complete this in 30 min. :) 

HECK YES!

 

This one is my personal favorite!  I was even thinking this would be so good if I cut it up and served it with vanilla ice cream :)

 

 

There she is - my candy thermometer!

 

 

Collin was rocking out with me in the kitchen.  He stays happy as long as he can see me...which he could, but it was clearly too relaxing for him as my partner for the night zonked out on me :)

Callie was busy playing an alphabet game on the iPad.  This was just too hot to have her help me...

 

 

This may not be the prettiest batch of caramel apples you have ever seen, but they are delicious!  The nuts and M&M's fell right off, the caramel stuck to the wax paper and to each other...but all in all, they are a Delicious mess of stickiness!  Plus it's an apple, so it's good for you :)

 

Here is the recipe I followed!  This is seriously so easy!  If you don't have a candy thermometer, after you add the sweetened condensed milk, stir for about 15 minutes - that's about how long it took for my caramel to reach 248 degrees!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• Dash salt
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 Popsicle sticks
• 10 to 12 medium tart apples, washed and dried
• 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped

Directions

• In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter; add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.
• Insert Popsicle sticks into apples. Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Dip bottom of apples into peanuts. Place on greased waxed paper until set. Yield: 10-12 apples.  Dont' forget the most important step - grease grease grease the wax paper...oh well, you live and you learn :)