Now that fall is here, the kids and I decided to make a classic autumn treat together – caramel apples. We wanted to make them a little different somehow, so we decided to turn the apples inside out! I must admit that this was an idea I saw on Pinterest, and it’s the first project I’ve ever tried after being inspired by something I saw on the site. I was a little wary we’d have a big ol’ Pinterest Fail on our hands, but it actually went pretty well! Here’s how it all went down …
Choosing the Recipe: Inside-Out Caramel Apples
As I started looking around Pinterest and searching Google for inside-out caramel apple recipes, I decided to go with the classic recipe for caramel that normally goes on the outside of caramel apples. Minimal ingredients and work means it’s easy to do with the kids!
Rankings: Inside-Out Caramel Apples Were a Big Hit!
Seriously, you can’t go wrong with this recipe. It might be a little tricky to make them look perfectly beautiful, but cooking with kids isn’t always about making food that is perfectly beautiful, so it’s okay! The apples tasted great and were cute and fun. Everyone was happy with the final product!
Cate declared our inside-out caramel apples “the best food in the world!” When I pushed her on it, she said chocolate bread pudding is actually #1, but that these caramel apples are a close second!
Owen refused to try eating an apple. He just broke his arm so we’ll blame his poor decision to pass on this delicious treat on that!
Steps Where Kids Can Get Involved
- Unwrapping the caramels: Kids of any age can help with this step and love doing it. I hate unwrapping all those caramels, so I was more than happy to let the kids take control of that task!
- Melting and stirring the caramels: We used the microwave to melt our caramel, making it simple and straightforward. Cate (9) and Anna (6) were able to completely perform this step on their own.
- Sprinkling toppings, if using: We didn’t put any toppings on our apples, but if you decide to throw on some toppings, the kids can definitely do that job!
The Tasting
As I mentioned, we all loved the inside-out caramel apples. The tasting went swimmingly. ‘Nuf said.
I will say this – there was a “Pinterest Fail” element to our project. We thought we’d be able to cut the apples into cute slices, but the caramel had other ideas. That is why you see slices in the tasting photo, but in the end we liked keeping the apples in halves.
The Recipe
There are tons of recipes on the web for inside-out caramel apples and inside-out caramel apple slices. Feel free to search for one that looks good to you or follow our recipe below. This is what we did, with a note about how I will tweak it next time.
Inside-Out Caramel Apples
Ingredients:
- 4-6 Granny Smith apples
- 2 cups caramel candies
- 2 tablespoons water
- lemon juice
- toppings like nuts, mini chocolate chips, toffee bits, etc. (optional)
Directions:
- Unwrap caramel candies and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add water. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave on high 1 minute more. Stir. If caramel is still not completely melted, microwave another 30-60 seconds then stir.
- Slice apples in half. Brush cut sides with lemon juice.
- Using a melon baller or small metal scoop, scoop out the insides of the apple, leaving about ½-inch edge of apple all the way around. It doesn’t need to be perfect or precise!
- Scoop caramel into each hollowed-out apple
- Let sit for about 1 hour to allow caramel to firm up. Eat and enjoy! Store in the fridge. (Note: We put the apples in the fridge for 1 hour instead of letting the caramel harden at room temperature. The caramel got too hard, so I would recommend just letting the caramel firm up outside of the fridge.)
Source: http://www.babble.com/
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