Are you looking for a fun and delicious caramel apple that will stand out from the rest?  Try this nutty caramel apple with a tasty chocolate drizzle.  It would make a great small gift, or a very impressive offering at your Halloween party or other fall gatherings.

Nutty Caramel Apples with Chocolate Drizzle

The apples pictured are Pink Lady, but feel free to use your favorite!  I actually prefer to use more tart apples to help balance out the ultra-sweetness of the candy coating.

Before starting, be sure to prepare your apples.  You’ll want to remove that waxy film on them (unless you picked them yourself or bought them from a farm or something like that) before you get started or it may be difficult to get the topping to stick.  I like to do a quick vinegar and water soak to get it off naturally, and then pat completely dry when done.

Press a stick firmly into each apple, fairly deep in, but not all the way through the bottom.  The kind of sticks you use are up to you.  Craft sticks can work, but might break if you use larger apples.  Try the ones that look like actual sticks (aff), or the more common rounded ones (aff) work well, too.

This recipe makes 8 large apples.

Ingredients:

• 8 Pink Lady apples, or other variety of your choice
• 1 cup stick margarine
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 bag of chopped pecans or other nut of your choice
• 1 bag of chocolate wafers (aff) meant for candy making, or a bag of your favorite chocolate chips

To Make:

-Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
-Pour the chopped pecans into a bowl, placing it next to the stove.
-Using a double boiler, pour water into the bottom half just slightly lower than when the top pot sits in the bottom half. Bring water to a boil. (If you do not have a double boiler, check out how to make a DIY double boiler.)
-Using a double boiler, put the margarine, brown sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk into the top pot, bringing the heat to a med-high. Raise the temperature to a boil, constantly stirring, then reduce heat to med.
-Cook for 25-30 minutes until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (or when you can drop a teaspoon of the caramel into a glass of cold water and it forms a firm ball).
-Remove the pot from the heat, stirring in the vanilla.
-Dip each apple into the caramel coating. Immediately sprinkle the caramel-coated apples with the chopped pecans.
-Allow the apples to completely dry on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.

Chocolate Drizzle

-Pour the bag of chocolate wafers into a microwave-safe bowl, and follow the instructions on the package to melt it.  If you are melting chocolate chips, microwave in 30 second intervals, being careful not to burn it.  If it seems stiff, you may want to add a little bit of butter or coconut oil to liquify it again.
-Using a spoon, quickly and carefully drizzle the melted hot chocolate all over the cooled caramel apples.  Allow to completely cool.

Enjoy this yummy and simple nutty caramel apple with chocolate drizzle to get a real taste of fall any time!  Not only are they fun to make, but people just appreciate something homemade so much more than store-bought humdrum treats. 🙂

What is your favorite kind of caramel apple?