The Trick For Perfect Caramel Apples Is All In The Temperature
It may be all asparagus and rhubarb now, but before you know it, the leaves will start to change their colors from green to vibrant scarlet and orange. When you start to feel a chill in the air, that means one thing; it is time to embrace the foods of autumn. This year, that could mean the world's most perfect caramel apples.
The biggest trick to making delicious caramel apples is to keep the apples cold and the caramel a little warm. It may at first seem odd to keep the two main ingredients — and in some cases the only ingredients — of the dish at different temperatures. However, the right temperature really is the key to getting the smooth, glossy caramel apples of your childhood autumn carnival dreams.
First of all, get your apples cold. Refrigerated apples are obviously colder than room temperature ones, and that chilly temperature helps set the warm caramel so it doesn't slide off the apple. It's really as simple as that.
Not too hot, not too cold
The apple being cold is not the only important aspect of making the perfect caramel apple. The caramel, of course, has a lot to do with the final outcome. Making caramel is not exactly difficult, but it does require a few important steps to keep it smooth, velvety, and not grainy. Whatever recipe is being used to make the caramel apples, be sure to keep the caramel loose enough to coat the apples and the delicious extras.
You do not want it to harden before the apples get their additional toppings. First of all, it's important to take the caramel off the heat before you dip the apples so it does not continue to cook and perhaps burn. Some time off the heat also lets it set up to coat the apples, but you do not want the caramel itself to totally seize. If the caramel does start to stiffen before you get to put toppings on your apple, put the apples over a saucepan of boiling water and let the steam gently and barely harden the caramel so the toppings will stick. Voilà!
Dip, drizzle, delicious
Now that you know to keep the apples cold and the caramel warm (but not hot), the only thing left to do is make the best and most whimsical apples possible. Though this might not be the best snack for somebody with braces, almost anybody else will jump for joy.
One of the best parts about caramel apples is how versatile they are. Leave them plain or add a sprinkle of sea salt for a sweet meets salty combination. Roll them in crushed pecans, peanuts, or walnuts if everybody in your party tolerates nuts. Break out the leftover (or future) Halloween candy, because absolutely anything is made better with the addition of crushed candy bars.
And do not forget drizzle options: white, milk, and dark chocolate can be melted from chip form and then drizzled in attractive stripes over the caramel apples for the ultimate chocolate and caramel burst of flavor. The apples might be cool for this recipe, but the flavor is absolutely on fire.