culinary quest: mini caramel apples

As an autumnally appropriate culinary quest, I made mini caramel apples for a friend's baby shower.

I had entertained the idea of making them "the cheater way" by just buying and melting caramels, but our grocery store didn't have any good caramels and I would've had to buy about 30 bags of the ones they did have. So, I bought a bottle of corn syrup (gasp!) and made the caramel from scratch.

I don't have a candy thermometer but we do have a nice digital thermometer that worked like a charm.

After making these, I will never be able to eat as much caramel again. It is just SO MUCH SUGAR. But they were delicious. Delicious and too difficult to eat in front of your friends at a baby shower. :)

recipe.

Carnival Caramel Apples Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• Dash salt
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 Popsicle sticks
• 10 to 12 medium tart apples, washed and dried
• 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped

Directions

• In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter; add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.
• Insert Popsicle sticks into apples. Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Dip bottom of apples into peanuts. Place on greased waxed paper until set. Yield: 10-12 apples.