I was wrong, completely. I had seen these overloaded apples in stores for years and thought that they were more of a culinary gimmick than a treat. That is until I tried one! Someone brought one to us from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company and with knife in hand, we stood at the counter eating it until every last bit was gone. Yum!
I thought that caramel, 2 kinds of chocolate and pecans would be overkill for a simple apple, but she can take it! If you are looking for a sweet hostess gift to bring a friend this Fall, consider getting her an overloaded apple. She will either know instantly how smart you are or learn quickly, like I did. Happy Fall!
Must. Have. Caramel Apples. There has been a BIG advancement in caramel apple making, have you heard? Kraft has started selling Caramel Bits. Tiny unwrapped balls of caramel ready for melting!
No more unwrapping those cellophane wrappers. No more static cling as you try to set them down. Just open the bag and pour them into the saucepan to melt. Genius.
And for those who want to follow my example, I have been skipping the melting step all together. I cut up a Honey Crisp apple, put the apple chunks in a bowl and pour the unmelted caramel bits around them like filling a moat. Then as I snack, I eat a slice of apple, pop a few caramel bits in my mouth. Repeat. No fuss, no muss, but still all the caramel apple taste that I want in October. Thank you, Kraft!
There are apples, apples everywhere this time of year. While everyone has their favorite, this post is prompted by a sweet treat I devoured yesterday.
My friend, Corinne, invited me to a picnic lunch on her patio (we had a gorgeous Fall day: full sun and 68 degrees!) and for dessert she had bought a giant caramel apple. I noticed that the packaging said, "Honey Crisp Caramel Apple." I had never seen the apple variety specified on a dessert other than pie before, but I now I know why...it was delicious! If I ever make my own caramel apples, I will use Honey Crisps for sure!
I am including an apple chart so that you can print it and take it with you to the farmer's market or grocery store. It specifies the best apples for salads, pies, snacking, baking - the perfect little summary created by the U.S. Apple Association.
Remember, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!"
Come on, you know you want one. I am including a link to Allrecipes.com with steps to make easy "dressed up" caramel apples (nuts and chocolate and graham crackers oh my!) in a snap. These beauties are all over the magazines right now and I think you should splurge. Besides, we are supposed to eat an apple a day, right?
What do I take to a Fall card party? A self-serve caramel apple bar.
I load my Nigella Lawson measuring cups with crunchy toppings like broken graham crackers, toffee bits, mixed nuts and almond crunch, then I put Marzetti's Caramel Apple Dip in a bowl next to pre-cut apple slices and voila!
Guests can dip an apple slice in caramel and then into the topping of their choice. A serving a fruit never tasted so good.
