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Yesterday was the official first day of fall, so to celebrate I decided to make a classic fall treat...but with a twist! I love caramel apples, but I hate trying to bite into them (they're so big!!) and when you cut them, they can get messy and aren't as cute anymore. So when I saw this picture on Pinterest, a lightbulb went off. Mini caramel apples--of course! I love miniature and bite-size desserts, like cake pops--they're adorable and the smaller portions mean you won't feel so stuffed (or just that you can eat more). Plus, they're less messy, since you can just pop the whole thing in your mouth!
Now, to be perfectly honest, I had some trouble with the caramel sliding off on these, but if you're planning to eat them quickly, they're adorable and lots of fun to make. If you're making these for a party or something where they need to hold up for awhile, try dipping them in chocolate first, so there's something for the caramel to grab hold of.
Here's what you'll need:
Extra-large apples (I actually only ended up using 3, to make 20 mini caramel apples).
Caramels + 2 Tbsp milk
Lollipop sticks
A metal Tbsp coffee scoop
Wax paper & plates or a cookie sheet (not pictured)
First, prepare a cookie sheet or some plates with wax paper on top. Peel the apples, then scoop balls out of them with the metal coffee scoop. Push a lollipop stick into the middle of each ball. Pat them dry with a paper towel and put them in the fridge or freezer while you make the caramel.
Unwrap the caramels and melt them in a pot over medium-low heat, with 2 Tbsp of milk. You can buy bags of caramel bits too if you don't want to go through the trouble of unwrapping them. Once the caramel is smooth and melted, remove it from heat and dip the apple pops one by one, letting the excess caramel drip back off them into the pot. Place the dipped apples back onto the cookie sheet, and repeat.
Warning: because peeled apples are a lot more slick and wet than apple skin, you might want to pat the apple pops dry with a paper towel one more time before you start dipping them, and you should put them back in the freezer right after dipping to let the caramel set. Otherwise, it will just slide off. Leave them in the freezer for about 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for another 30 minutes or until the caramel is hardened.
Once the caramel is hard, take them out of the fridge and peel them off the wax paper. If you have a lot of caramel pooled around the bottom, you can cut it away with a knife. Then, enjoy the sweet fruits of your labor (hardy har).
You could also dip these in nuts, chocolate bits, crushed pretzels, or salt for fun variations!
What did you all do this weekend? Did you do anything to celebrate the first official day of fall? Besides making these, we went for a walk through some crunchy fallen leaves, turned our new gas fireplace on for the first time, and read books by the fire with cozy throws over us. It really did feel like fall! We also visited my friend Jenn's new baby girl, who is adorable, and went to a sweet wedding...plus my dad stayed with us Saturday night. All in all, it was a fun weekend! Hope yours was too.
P.S. If you like this post, you may also like my summery version--star-spangled watermelon pops!
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What a great idea! Definitely going to try this!
definitely making these! great idea
kw, ladies in navy
Yay for Fall! I am finally ready now that it is actually Fall. :) I really love your caramel apple idea! So clever. I am curious if the sticks fell out easily from the apples. When we made cake pops, it was really hard to get them to stay!
I am ready now too--but I want it to be sunny and crisp like yesterday, not rainy like today!! The sticks stayed in great, at least at first. But eventually the apples started releasing juices and got softer, so the caramel slid off and the then the sticks were more loose. So basically, these are not a treat that you leave out overnight...you have to eat them right away!
I have been dying to make these! Been seeing them all over pinterest and LOVE how cute they are! Super cute :)
:) I think you pinned the first photo that I saw and was inspired by!
Omg I love these! I'm right there with you.. I hate how messy they are, but I love how they taste! This is the best idea ever!
Oh my gosh, what a cute idea! I would never have thought of that, but I have the same problem with caramel apples! I never eat them because they are sooo hard to eat! I can't wait to try this.
I agree. mini are a great idea!
What a fabulous looking treat for our upcoming potluck! Not good to leave out too long according to the comments, but could I make these the night before and stick them in the fridge, drive 20 mins to work and pop them back in the fridge or would the caramel still slide off?
hi! i'm planning on making these for my daughter's 1st birthday this weekend, but i want to make sure i don't make them *too* early (so the caramel doesn't slide off and the sticks stay in!). how early would you make them, like how many hours ahead? thanks so much for this cute tutorial!
Hi Corrine!
I would try a small practice round if you have time...I'm not exactly sure because we went to dinner after we took the photos and didn't come back for several hours. When we got home most of the caramel had slid off...so I'm guessing they didn't last more than a couple hours. If you think of a way to keep the apples from getting so wet, I think the caramel will stay on better--if you try anything that works well, let me know!!
I am wondering where you bought your caramels. I'm having trouble finding candy without palm oil in it! Thanks!
Hi Kaeley!
They're from Trader Joe's.
These are so cute!! I have to make these because my kids LOVE caramel apples but can never actually eat a whole one!
well tooth picks do for the caramel minis apples
I don't see why not!
You're a caramel lover, and make me to be it too !!
has anyone tried freezing these? i want to make them for my wedding shower but wont have time the couple days before?
Hi Stacy! I haven't tried freezing them. One thing you could do to help the caramel stay on is to dip them in chocolate first, then caramel. They might even hold up in the fridge then. I'd definitely do a small trial run with a couple of them before you make a whole bunch for the shower (congrats, by the way!)
Any thoughts on the use of the Red Candy rather than the Caramel? Wonder if the candy would also fall off..
I don't know! That's a good idea--let me know how it works, if you try it.
how do you get the caramel to not slide off? i made these an hour before a party and by the time I got there I had a plate full of wet caramel and naked apple balls :(
Love them! they are very good, yum yum. But can you tell me how do you keep the apples from turning brown before you dip them in the carmel?
thats great my mom is going to make those for children at school where my mom work :)
I wish you would include a written directions only version.
How long is too long? if I make them the night before a wedding will they still be good around 2 pm?
Hi Barb, I LOVE this concept and I still think it is really cute, but I'd feel nervous recommending these for a wedding or anything where you can't eat them day-of. I would say, give it a try ahead of time (on a small scale) to work out the kinks first and try some other variations. I know stores also sell caramel apple wraps (sheets of caramel) which might stay on better. Or I've heard the recommendation to dip in chocolate first. I haven't tried either of those, so I'm not sure! But I know the way I made it, they probably would not last for a full day. Hope that is helpful!
This is so fabulous and so cute I absolutely love it!
Everyone seams to be wondering about how to make the caramel stay, I haven't tried the theories in this article yet but they sound very similar to what you've recommended so I thought I'd share the link.
http://candy.about.com/od/fruitnutcandy/r/minicaramelapples.htm
I will be attempting these myself in a few weeks and will let everyone know how it goes!
Thanks again for this adorable idea =)
Hey...check out Mom's Got Ink on FB. They stole your photos from this post.
Great idea, and will probably try the caramel idea or other melt downs on other things too.
Made these. They were awsome. Only suggestion I have is use parchment paper instead of wax because some of my hot carmel melted the wax paper and we could get them off. ): Thank you for the recipe though they were great!!
Aww, yay! So glad to hear that Jenna. And thanks for the suggestion :)
This is completely ingenious! I made traditional caramel apples for a party, but made these the next time! It is completely perfect, especially for kids and keeping things less messy!
I just made these for thanksgiving. First, I tried very hard to make sure apples were completely dry. Still, the caramel slid off before I could even get them to the freezer. None of them came out looking even remotely good. Now I wish I had at least bought a pie, as we have nothing for dessert except for some apples sitting in a pool of caramel.
I made these and had the same problem with the caramel sliding off. It was just my brothers family and my kids so we ate them anyway (didn't have to impress anyone lol) and everyone LOVED them!! Now I just must the caramel, put it on the table with the apple balls and people just dip their own as they eat them!
It just says "caramels" above. Does that mean a whole bag? I'm making these for a huge party and definitely want to make sure I buy enough bags to coat all the apples! I can't wait to see how these turn out!
great way for the kids to eat more fruit....and me!
WOW!! Thank you, this is just the right size for children. They actually enjoy them. :)
I think someone took these same photos you got? http://www.alittlecraftinyourday.com/2013/12/26/diy-mini-carmel-apples/
I wanted to thank you for sharing. I am going to try making these. I wonder if drying the apples a little with paper towel will keep caramel from falling off. We will see.
how many caramels for the amount of milk .
Well, my granddaughter and I spent way too long working at these cute little treats. After melting 2 small bags of Kraft caramels, allowing it to cool, then dipping apples in, just as mentioned the caramel slid off. Tried putting apple balls in freezer for 15 min...no luck. Tried dipping in granulated sugar...no luck. So we got the brainy idea to turn our caramel into a dip with 4 oz of neaufchatel cream cheese blended in. No need for sucker sticks or even a melon baller. Of course the balls looked cute but. So tomorrow we'll just slice some apples and use the dip that way instead.
these apples taste like crap
I am trying these tonight!
How many balls do you think you can get out of 1 apple? I am not sure how many apples I need to buy...
This was a huge fail. I followed the directions and ended up throwing it all away after piles of sticky caramel and nothing would stick to the apples. Disappointed kiddos!
Sorry folks, this is a neat idea but it doesn't work because there is too much moisture in the apple. I am a chef so I understand the method as well as the reason this doesn't work. Too many of these blogs have incomplete recipes or ideas like this just for the sake of a blog post. Nothing wrong with blogging but many people are going to try this and end up disappointed.
Where can I get a printable recipe of these mini caramel apples?
I want to make these for my wedding. How long do they keep? Need to know so I know how many days in advance to make them.
Hi Tasa, Honestly I wouldn't recommend them for a wedding--sorry! The caramel tends to melt off pretty quickly. They're a fun make them and eat them in one day activity, but not well suited for prepping ahead of time. Hope that helps!
I love your caramel Apple idea! I love this treat but it is so difficult to eat! Now you have solved the problem! I can't wait to try this w/my students this fall!! Thanks again!!
I like all your receipts and knowledge would like to receive everything from you on my e:mail address to keep me posted in everything from your side with my thanks in advance
Hello! I need to scoop perfectly round apple balls for a mini dessert, I'm using a melon baller, and for the life of me I cannot get a perfect round ball. Can you please please please respond with instructions? I have 50 mini tart tatins to make on Tuesday, 9/10, and I'm going crazy. I can get a half ball with the melon baller, but I'm sure my chef wants a complete round. Thank you SO MUCH!!! Terri Petrovits
I have read that if you freeze apples for about 30 minutes, topping sticks better. I am going to try this tonight. Wish me luck
Yup. These kicked my butt. Dried them again and again and again. But... sadly. Even after running them to the freezer and everything I got naked apple balls. Lol. So sad. If there’s a trick I gotta know. Yummy but I’m pooped, covered in caramel and need a glass of wine.