How you like them apples

As much as I try to prep for holidays in advance, it always seems like I have holiday projects on my to-do list that never seem to get done in time. That said, this year I am really making an effort to prep well in-advance. The first holiday-ish project on said list is caramel apples. Since I've never made these before, I thought I'd go the easy route --- using store-bought soft caramels --- instead of making the caramel from scratch. Brach's was my candy of choice and conveniently came with the sticks included.


The recipe is really simple --- basically melt a bag of caramels with a little milk --- but unwrapping the caramels took forever. Jim felt bad and offered to help, however, after the first bag, it got too tedious for him and he went back to watching football.


I prepped the apples, melted the caramel and started dipping. After coating the apples in caramel, I rolled them in chopped peanuts and put them in the fridge to harden.


To add another layer of sugary goodness, after the caramel had set, I drizzled melted chocolate over the top.


A cellophane treat bag and a bit of orange gingham ribbon added the final touch.


I am really happy with the way they turned out and can't wait to give them to my co-workers tomorrow morning. I am lucky in that I work with a great group of people, many of whom I consider friends, and they are most appreciative of sugary treats... especially those of the homemade or semi-homemade variety.