Carmel Apple...Bits?

Carmel apples.YUM, right? But when you eat the outer shell, all you have left is plain old apple. BORING! Plus, they're not very healthy for your body. Ways to change both:

• Make the caramel yourself without high fructose corn syrup (recipe below post)!
• Chop the apples to bite size and dip into caramel for an even proportion

I'm not saying you HAVE to make the carmel, just suggesting that you try it out for a change. Go out to the store, buy that disgusting store caramel, What do I care? EVERYTHING!!! Why would a person EVER do that?!? That stuff is FULL of high fructose corn syrup. Also, maybe freeze the apple chunks before dipping. It helps the carmel to stick to the apple (but don't worry about it if you're just dipping and eating right away). It isn't technically an "Oh, I'll make caramel apple bits today" kind of thing, so set a time of day to do it. If you follow the recipe EXACTLY, though, you will have a tasty caramel treat in about...tick, tick, tick...20 minutes. So try it (but make sure you have every ingredient, as always)!

Caramel Sauce                                                                        *makes 8 to 10 servings*

Get out a small, heavy saucepan and place in it:

       1 cup of sugar                                                                       

Pour evenly over the top:

       1/4 cup water

Set over medium-high heat and swirl saucepan gently by the handle until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear. Avoid letting the syrup boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to high, cover the saucepan tightly, and boil the syrup for 2 minutes. Uncover the saucepan and continue to boil the syrup until it begins to darken around the edges. Gently swirl the pan by the handle until the syrup turns a deep amber and begins to smoke. Remove from the heat and add:

       8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Gently beat until the butter is incorporated. Stir in:

       1/2 cup heavy cream

If the sauce becomes lumpy, set the pan over low heat and stir until smooth. Turn off the heat and stir in:

       2 teaspoons vanilla

       pinch of salt

Serve warm or at room temperature. The sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 month; it will become solid. Reheat in a double boiler or in a heavy saucepan over very low heat, adding water if it is too thick.

We poured ours into a fondue pot and dipped the pieces into the warm caramel. Yummmm! 

Oh, and Happy Halloween from Super Mario!