Home Made Caramel Apples

Fall brings the state fairs and make you want fair food...well not all fair food! I love caramel apples which is a typical fair food. If you ever read the ingredients of store bought caramel...well, you probably want to pass. Here is a 'natural' recipe for you. It does have a lot of sugar BUT you don't have the chemicals and additives.

You can make caramel dipped apples with this OR you can keep the caramel and mix it with...chocolate...dip apple slices in the caramel....freeze it and use it with your right around the corner holidays!

2 cups heavy cream

1# unsalted butter
16 oz bottle light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
2 # brown sugar
1 Tbls vanilla*

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, combine 2 cups cream, corn syrup, butter and salt. Heat on medium until butter is melted. Add sugars and stir until all sugar has dissolved. With a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down any crystal on the side of the pan. (This is an important stage as the crystals left on the sides will cause crystallization in the end.)

Bring to a boil on medium high. Do not stir after sides have been wiped down. Place a candy thermometer on the side and boil until it reaches 238-240 (soft ball on a candy thermometer) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Dip apples immediately. Hold apple over caramel until it stops dripping. Place on prepared wax paper.

*Be careful when you add the vanilla as it will splatter when it hits the hot caramel liquid! Also, I used long skewers to dip the apples as the sugar was so hot! When it cooled, I put the shorter stick on the apple.

Home Made Caramel Candy:

You can pour the caramel into mason jars and store in fridge for several weeks. This is great to do right now and you will have fresh caramel for the holiday baking!

I poured mine out onto a jelly roll pan. I formed small balls of caramel for our holiday season.