Caramel Apples Recipe – a.k.a Toffee Apples

When I was younger, at Halloween I tended to shy away from caramel apples and gravitate more towards apples covered in milk chocolate. The caramel apples of my youth in small town Ireland tended to be slightly sticky and as a result just taste like unflavoured sugar. This recipe is not that recipe. By allowing the sugar to fully caramelise and give that bitter edge paired with a sprinkle of sea salt or a drizzle of dark chocolate really gives it a more intense, interesting flavour profile.

A few tips to consider when making this caramel;

1. Do not stir this at any time. Stirring this mixture will agitate the sugar and crystallise resulting in a grainy, dull caramel. Swirl the pan around instead.

2. Ensure your apples are set up and you are ready to dip when the caramel reaches temperature. This caramel can go from being the perfect shade of dark amber to burnt real quick. Take it off the heat immediately when ready and work quickly. Keep the pan close to the baking paper for catch any drips.

3. Bring it to hard crack stage. Make sure to check your caramel is done by either using a candy thermometer or testing in a glass of cold water. If it totally hardens, it’s done. If there’s still a little give or it’s soft in any way, continue cooking. An underdone caramel will result in a unpleasant sticky coating.

While the caramel was hot on some of the apples, I dipped them into sprinkles or chopped roasted hazelnuts. Some I drizzled over melted dark chocolate and sprinkled nuts or sea salt on. There’s many different ways to decorate these depending on your taste. One of my favourite content creators, Katie Pix has a super informative video on how to make and dip caramel apples, my recipe is very similar! Check it out below for more info.