Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Caramel Apples

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Chocolate-Covered Caramel Apples

by Stephanie Zonis

http://recipe.epicurean.com/epicurean/recipe_files/16105.html

 

Ingredients:

4 crisp apples, firm, unbruised and WITH STEMS, each weighing 6-1/2 to 7

ounces

12 ozs. soft and fresh wrapped caramels

1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. hot water

12 ozs. good-quality chocolate (milk, semisweet, or a combination), chopped

1-1/2 tsp. solid vegetable shortening

About 1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans, chopped medium-fine) OR toffee

chunks

 

Directions:

Wash and dry apples well, and set out on a kitchen towel at room temperature

for at least 30 minutes. This is especially important if the apples have

been refrigerated; they must not be refrigerator cold when dipped.

 

Unwrap caramels and place in small heatproof bowl. Place over simmering

water on low heat (water should not touch bottom of bowl); stir frequently

until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and hot water. All at once, add

hot water; stir until incorporated (this will take a couple of minutes).

Note: Some caramels are more stubborn about melting than others. If you

cannot get your caramels smooth while melting or after adding the water,

turn the caramel mixture into a powerful food processor fitted with a steel

blade, and process briefly just until smooth. The caramel mixture should be

a very thick, gooey sauce. Cool until just slightly warm, stirring

occasionally. While the caramel cools, dry the apples again if any

condensation has formed on them.

 

You'll need one or two dipping bowls. Ideally, these should be just about as

deep as the apples are tall (no deeper); they must be able to accommodate

the width of the apples, but shouldn't be more than an inch or two wider. I

use a bowl that is perfect for width, but a bit too shallow - OK. Prepare a

pan by lining the bottom with baking parchment cut to fit. The pan should be

able to accommodate all four apples without their having to touch. If you

absolutely cannot get baking parchment, line the pan bottom with several

layers of plastic wrap. DO NOT use wax paper or foil (even if the foil has

been greased), as the caramel will stick tenaciously to either.

 

When the caramel is just slightly warm, scrape it into the dipping bowl.

Place one apple into the caramel. If your bowl is a bit too shallow, like

mine, you'll have to use a flat knife to spread the caramel to cover the

sides of the apple as well as the top, stopping about an inch out in all

directions from the stem. You must work fairly quickly here, as if your

apples are below room temperature they'll thicken the caramel. If the

caramel becomes too thick to work with, you can re-heat it over hot water,

then cool it again. Pick up the apple by the stem and remove it from the

caramel - you'll probably have to pull hard. With the knife, scrape off any

extra caramel - you want a thick coating, but if it's too thick you won't

have enough for all of the apples. Hold the apple by the stem and allow the

excess caramel to flow back into the bowl for a minute or two, then place on

the parchment-lined pan bottom. Repeat with other apples. If a stem comes

out of the apple while you're working with it, don't despair; if you're

dipping the apple, wedge a knife or spoon gently under it. Lightly dampen

your hands, then pick up the apple, scrape off excess caramel, and place on

the parchment. The sides of the apple will have a thinner caramel coating

where your hands touched it, but that can be fixed later, so don't worry.

Place the apples in the refrigerator to chill for 30 to 60 minutes. The

caramel should set up considerably during this time.

 

After 30 minutes, look at the apples. If any have pools of excess caramel

gathered at the bottom, are covered unevenly with caramel, etc., this is the

time for repair. Take one apple by the stem, and try to peel it off the

parchment paper. It should come off; if so, replace it, and do the same to

the rest. If any apple sticks to the parchment, dampen your hands lightly.

Place one hand over the apple and lift the whole thing from the parchment.

Quickly, with your dampened hands, work the caramel into shape over the

surface of the apple, covering any thin spots, etc. Don't fuss too much with

the apples - remember you're going to cover them in chocolate. If you can

peel an apple off the parchment by the stem, you can work the caramel into

shape over the surface as above. Return the apples to the parchment (don't

let them touch), and then to the refrigerator. Wash and dry the dipping bowl

you used, or have another ready.

 

In medium heatproof bowl, place chopped chocolate of choice and shortening.

Place bowl over hot water on low heat (simmering water if you use dark

chocolate), and stir often until almost melted. Remove from heat and hot

water; stir until melted and smooth. Cool until just slightly warm. While

chocolate cools, tear off a sheet of wax paper about one foot long. Place on

your work surface. Place the chopped nuts in a mound on the wax paper.

Additionally, prepare a pan by lining it with aluminum foil; the pan should

be large enough to accommodate the apples without having them touch.

 

When the chocolate has cooled sufficiently, scrape it into the dipping bowl.

Remove the apples from the refrigerator. You'll have to work quickly here;

the apples are cold and will set the chocolate rapidly. Take an apple by the

stem, peel from the parchment, and place into the chocolate. With a flat

knife, cover the apple thickly with chocolate right up to the stem. Remove

the apple from the chocolate by the stem; hold it over the dipping bowl

while you scrape off any excess chocolate with the flat knife. Place the

chocolate-covered apple into the nuts; gently pat nuts into the apple up the

sides to about the widest point of the apple. Remove apple from nuts; place

on foil-lined pan. Repeat with remaining apples. If you have trouble peeling

an apple from the parchment, do not dampen your hand here - just place it

over the apple and tear the apple off the parchment, then quickly place the

apple into the chocolate. You might lose some caramel during this process -

OK. If an apple loses a stem, cover it in chocolate as above, then gently

wedge it out of the bowl using the flat knife and a fork or spoon; scrape

off any excess chocolate as best you can. You'll probably have some leftover

chocolate - OK.

 

Chill apples until chocolate is set. It is the nature of these apples that

caramel might leak through the chocolate covering in one or two places. You

can ignore it, or, if it bothers you, scrape off the caramel " leak " and

patch it with a bit more melted chocolate - be careful if you use the

chocolate you melted to cover the apples, as if it's re-melted it can become

grainy. When cold, store apples airtight.

 

I like to present these wrapped individually in plastic wrap; I gather the

ends of the plastic wrap at the top of the apple, and tie them together with

a bow of colored ribbon. To eat these, bring to room temperature first (it's

not absolutely necessary, but some people like to, and they're far easier to

slice). Remove any wrapping; slice with a large, sharp, straight-edged

knife.

 

Serving Info.:

Makes 4 apples

 

Comments:

These look stunning when they are finished, even without a lot of

decoration, though you could certainly add that if you wish. People are

crazy about them, too; they make nice holiday gifts, and they'd be super for

a Halloween party.

 

These take patience and time. They are not ideal for beginners. You'll need

four crisp-textured apples - they must be firm, unbruised, and with stems.

You'll also need store-bought, individually wrapped caramels, which must be

soft and fresh, and parchment paper. For the chocolate, you can use milk,

semisweet, or a combination. These must be stored in the refrigerator.

Ideally they should be consumed within 3 or 4 days. You must cut these to

serve them!

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