Everything's ready! The pumpkin is carved, the costumes are made, and the yard is looking absolutely frightful. All that's missing from this Halloween scene is something sweet. How about gooey-chewy-sweet-n-crunchy caramel apples?
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1 1-pound box dark brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dark molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 chopsticks
12 medium Granny Smith apples
Assorted decorations (such as chopped nuts, toffee bits, mini M&M's, crushed cookies, shredded coconut)
Melted dark, milk and/or white chocolate
Whipping cream (if necessary)
- Combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 1/2-quart saucepan (about 3 inches deep). Stir with wooden spatula or spoon over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers), about 15 minutes.
- Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean wooden spatula, about 12 minutes. Pour caramel into a bowl and do not scrap the bottom of the pan. Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel; cool, without stirring, to 200°F, about 15-20 minutes.
- While caramel cools, line 2 baking sheets with buttered foil or a Silpat. Push 1 chopstick into stem end of each apple. Set up decorations and melted chocolate.
- Holding the chopstick, dip 1 apple into 200°F caramel, submerging all but very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. Place coated apple on prepared sheetpan. Repeat with remaining apples and caramel, spacing apples apart (caramel will pool on the bottom). If caramel becomes too thick to dip into, add 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream and briefly whisk caramel in bowl over low heat to thin.
- Chill apples on sheets until caramel is partially set, about 15 minutes. Lift 1 apple off off prepared pan. Using your hand, press pooled caramel around apple; return to sheet pan. Repeat with remaining apples
- Firmly press decorations into caramel or dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, and then roll in nuts or candy.
- Chill until decorations are set, about 1 hour. Cover; chill up to 1 week.
