Caramel-Chocolate Apples... Recipe
DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY SCRAP GIVE-AWAY - IT ENDS TONIGHT AT 6:00 pst...scroll down for details - Winner announced tomorrow morning!
Oh sure, everyone has had caramel apples...rolled in sugar, nuts, candy...but how about a caramel bewitched with chocolate and then dipped in crushed pretzels?!? Sweet, salty and tart - serious foodies, hold on to your calorie counters because THIS caramel apple is for you!
The mister returned last night from a "bizness" trip...walked into baggage claim with a cute blond lady and said, "This was my ROOM-MATE, I mean seat-mate!" Freudian, no? I can see a piece of "sorry jewelry" in my future! Almost the entire drive home he complained of his aching shoulder and how heavy his carry-on was. When we got home and he started to unpack, I watched him remove his laptop and cords, a book, some files and then a ROCK!
A few years back he started bringing home rocks, but they were small, like the ones in his head. Now the rocks are getting larger...it's only a matter of time before he and his rocks will be relocated to that VA Hospital in Dubuque, Iowa...I do hope they have a VA Hospital there - as he is certainly NOT going to the one in San Diego with a view overlooking the Pacific! (The one in Seattle, I'm sure, will be booked!) Dubuque just seems fitting, don't you think?!?
Last year Lori introduced me to her Aunt Ramona's famous caramel apples and they are dang good, too. Probably the best caramel around - you can get the recipe by clicking here - and I would have made Aunt Ramona's caramel but I was short on time - hey, Witching Hour is just around the corner! So I used Peter's Caramel, which comes in a 5 lb. brick (in Seattle you can purchase it at Home Cake Decorating). You could also use the individually wrapped caramels, they would be just fine. It's the addition of bittersweet chocolate to the caramel and the salty crunch of pretzels that really send this traditional treat to a new level. Dang good my friends, 5 dangs worth!
- Caramel-Chocolate Apples - Pots and Pins
- 1 1/2 lbs. caramel
- 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 2 cups pretzel sticks, crushed**
- 2 tablespoons milk, if needed
- 8 wooden sticks/skewers (I even used chopsticks!)
- 8 tart apples (I used Granny Smith but Jonagold or Honey Crisp would be great, too)
Prepare apples by washing, drying and inserting a wooden stick into the center. Spread crushed pretzels on a rimmed baking sheet. In a microwave-proof bowl, melt caramel at 50% power for one minute. Remove and stir. Repeat as necessary until caramel is smooth and easy to stir. Stir in chocolate pieces, stirring until well blended and no streaks are visible. Working quickly, dip an apple into the caramel mixture, twirling until well covered, hold above bowl and twirl a bit to remove any excess and then set down on top of crushed pretzels, pressing down slightly. Repeat with remaining apples. If the caramel mixture gets too thick, thin with a bit of the milk, starting with 1 tablespoon and adding a second if necessary. Makes 8 apples.
**I did not roll the entire apple in the pretzels but just coated the bottom, if you want to coat the entire apple crush up additonal 2 cups of pretzels.