Once you’ve picked your own apples or grabbed a basket of your favorite variety from Robinette’s apple haus, you’ll need to get creative in how you enjoy these crunchy, delicious seasonal fruits. Caramel apples are a tradition as old as time. They bring us back to a time when carnivals and state fairs brought family and friends together for good old fashioned fun.

Here is a great homemade caramel apple recipe to try this fall, as well as some creative toppings.

Best Caramel Apples

You’ll want to work fast with this recipe because you don’t want the caramel to cool.

You will need:

  • 8 large apples
  • 8 wooden chopsticks (handles)
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Candy thermometer

Directions

  1. Gather ingredients.
  2. Boil a large sauce pan of water, dipping apples into it for a few seconds with a slotted spoon.
  3. Dry with paper towels to get any wax off of the peels. Set them aside to cool, about a half hour.
  4. Insert sticks into the bottoms of each apple, through the core. These will be the handles.
  5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Stir brown sugar, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
  7. Bring to a boil and stir constantly; reduce heat to medium. Cook until your candy thermometer reads 248 degrees F, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn (about a half hour). Drop a teaspoon of caramel in a glass of cold water; it will form a firm ball when ready.
  8. Take caramel off heat, stirring in vanilla extract.
  9. Dip each apple into the caramel to coat it and a half inch of the handle.
  10. While still hot, sprinkle apples with desired toppings.
  11. Let apples cool on baking sheet, about one hour.

Caramel Apple Topping Ideas

Nuts make a great topping for caramel apples, but why not get creative with these?

  • Mini M&Ms
  • Reese’s Pieces
  • Rainbow sprinkles
  • Crushed candy corn
  • Crushed Butterfinger
  • Toffee
  • Mini chocolate chips
  • Fruity Pebbles cereal

Come Pick Apples at Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery

Apple picking season is just about upon us. Apple season starts in late August or early September, with U-Pick starting mid-September. While here for apples, come see what else Robinette’s has to do for fun, such as our winery, bakery, and lots of fun activities to keep you busy here all season long. To learn more, call us at (800) 400-8100.