I love the way my house smells when I make homemade caramel. The butter and the sugar wafting through the air make you feel like you’ve walked into a candy shop- because you have! You and your family are going to love this activity!

Caramel apples are one of my favorite treats. Even though they are covered in sugar and chocolate, there's something about having fruit at the heart of a dessert that helps me feel less guilty about eating it- most of the time.

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One of our favorite fall traditions is having a candy apple making party with our friends. Last year we invited my little daughter’s friends to join us, and this year we invited my teenage son’s buddies. It seems no matter the age, everyone loves to learn how to make this easy Halloween treat! It may not be super gourmet when the kids are slopping the toppings on, but it all tastes delicious!

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Before you make the caramel:

1. Caramel Apples work best at room temperature. If they are cold, the candy slides off.

2. Wash and dry your apples completely. Poke a wooden stick in the center of the apple. We also use craft sticks or even plastic knives. Whatever you have hanging around.

3. Pro tip: temperature is everything with this recipe! Make sure you watch your candy thermometer and stir, stir, stir.

4. If you are unsure if your caramel is right, keep a little bowl of ice water next do your pot as you are cooking, and every so often, drizzle a little caramel in your ice water. If you can form your caramel into a little ball, your caramel is ready.

5. Near the end of the process, you will notice little brown flecks appearing in your caramel. This is what you are looking for!! As you stir it around, it will make your caramel that beautiful golden brown color and that is actually “caramelizing” the sugar. Just what you want! Once you see those flecks, keep a very close watch on your thermometer. The longer the caramel cooks, the firmer it will be.

Homemade Caramel

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup light corn syrup

2 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

8-10 apples

Directions:

Combine ½ cup butter, 1 cup light corn syrup & 2 ¼ cup corn syrup in a large saucepan. When the butter is melted, add the condensed milk.

Stirring constantly, cook to 230 degrees (soft ball stage). Take off heat, and stir in vanilla. Let it cool for a few minutes before dipping—super hot caramel is more likely to slide off.

*Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples are my favorite to use because their tart nature keeps the sweetness from over powering your palate.

Roll the apples in the caramel and let the excess drip off. We've found the toppings stay on better after the caramel has cooled on the apples for a bit. So once we had the apples covered in caramel we went about melting our chocolate.

Using a double boiler on the stove would be ideal, but with 7 kids running around the house, I don't have the patience for it. I use the microwave. I melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between so I don't burn the chocolate. Then use a spoon or fork to drizzle it over your apples.

We've used lots of different toppings through the years: white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, Health, Snickers, Reeses, pretzels, M&Ms, nuts, coconut, cinnamon sugar, are just a few off the top of my head. This a great way to use up leftover Halloween candy!