Caramel Apple Making

So I had as our October Activity on Saturday to make caramel apples as a family. Well...after I got everything set up I realized, this is going to be way too messy and complicated to involve the kids in. (plus by the time I got done with the set up they were taking naps!) So what was suppose to be a family activity turned into me doing it by myself. Oh well. The rest of the family just got to enjoy the results!

• I bought some dowels and my husband cut them to size and sanded the ends to a point- they looked like little pencils! (I love having a carpenter for a husband- it comes in handy all the time!) Then he skewered and washed all the apples for me.
  
• I put wax paper on cookie sheets and buttered them (make sure you are generous with the butter- caramel will stick to wax paper.)
  

Then I set up my "menu" of ingredients and unwrapped my caramels (I used Kraft caramels- but next year I'm definitely making my caramel from scratch. The Kraft caramels end up being too hard and it fuses to your teeth!).

the menu

MY TIPS:
(that I learned the hard way)

• Chocolate chips DO NOT melt as well as those chocolate "melting discs" you find in the candy/cake decorating section of the craft store! I tried using chocolate chips (because it was a little cheaper), but they just don't melt as thin, are harder to work with, and don't taste as good. My white chocolate chips "seized up" and got hard and crumbly. (I must have over cooked it or got liquid in it some how- I don't know) I had to run to the store and buy some white chocolate melting discs and what a difference they made! I made the milk chocolate chips work, but next time I'll use the discs.
• Don't try to put candy on the dipped apple right after dipping it. They'll just slide right off. This part I never completely figured out. (If you know of good way to do it please let me know.) After I figured out you have to wait a little bit, I would stick the chocolate dipped apples in the freezer for a minute- but if you wait too long the chocolate gets too hard and nothing will stick to it. As soon as it's set up a little bit, but not hard, then you can stick the candy or topping to it.
• If you do use the Kraft Caramel, microwaving the finished apple for 20 seconds or so will make the caramel more gooey.
  

After making 4 different kinds, by far my favorite (and actually the cheapest and easiest one) was the white chocolate with cinnamon sugar. It tastes just like an apple pie; especially if you microwave it a little. Next time I'm just making that kind and probably not so many!