SO EASY ALMOST DISNEY CARAMEL APPLES

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​It doesn't have to be a holiday to make a copycat Disney treat, but I really couldn't think of anything better than Halloween, and caramel apples. I FINALLY got one on our last trip, and for weeks after I dreamed of them! I tried to make my own, and I'm only slightly embarrassed to say the 8 I made were gone in 2 days. I'd like to say I had help eating them, but to be honest, only one of them went to my oldest. Yikes! This time, I made a dozen, with the intention of sharing! I've learned a few things since the last time I  made these, so these tips are updated! 

A quick note on the apples-- green apples last longer. They area little tart, so that plays well with the sweet of the caramel, so if you make these using red apples, they might not taste as good, and most importantly, they won't last as long. These can last several days (just not in my house!!) without any taste loss. 

These are super simple to make. The hardest part is unwrapping all those caramels. I used the recipe on the back of the bag: 

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However, I did use milk, instead of water, and I felt like that worked better than before, when I used water. ​​
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Also, don't forget to make sure you wash and DRY your apples. If you don't dry them, the caramel won't stick!

Put the sticks in. I ran out of sticks, so I cut bamboo skewers (like for the grill) in half. Those worked great!

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Next, get your pan ready.

Now it's time to decide how you want to melt the caramels. I've done it both ways, a bowl over simmering water, and also straight in the pot. I really prefer to just dump them all in my pot. It goes faster in the melting process I think, and then I don't have a bowl precariously balanced on a pot, trying to tip onto the stove. 

Once you've decided how you want to melt your caramels, unwrap, put them in the pot and add your liquid. Stir, stir stir... it transitions... keep going until it's all melty. Don't leave it alone though! It could burn and ruin your caramels. ​

​Eventually, your caramel should start to transition like my photographs. 

Dip your apples into the caramel, no photo here, it goes quick and starts to harden fast! Roll into nuts if you like, but you could do chocolate chips or sprinkles too, and place on a sheet of waxed paper. They set pretty fast!! 

Aren't they sooo pretty? Takes less than an hour to do these. If you have people helping unwrap the caramels, it will go much faster!

So delish, and easy, and pretty close to the Disney ones. It's not spot on, but in a pinch, or dire Disney emergency, these will do the job! 

​Be sure to keep them chilled just until serving, because the caramel might stick to the wax paper otherwise. 

Happy Halloween everyone!!