How to Make Caramel Apples (Classic Halloween Treat)

Most grocery-store apples are coated in food-grade wax that keeps them shiny in the produce aisle. Hot caramel slides right off that wax. Fill a bowl with nearly-boiling water, dip each apple for a few seconds, then rub it down vigorously with a clean kitchen towel. Polish it like you're handing it to a teacher.

Pull out the stems, then push a wooden craft stick straight down through the center of each apple. Try to keep the stick perpendicular - crooked sticks mean apples that lean as they cool. Pop the prepared apples into the fridge while you make the caramel. A cool apple helps the caramel grab and set up faster.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (the thicker the walls, the less likely you scorch the bottom), add 2 cups brown sugar, 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, and 1 cup light corn syrup. The corn syrup is non-negotiable here - it makes the cooled caramel sticky enough to cling to the apple instead of pooling at the bottom.

Set the pan over medium-low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter melts and everything is smooth. Once melted, stop stirring. Dip a clean pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pan to wash any stray sugar crystals back into the pot. Stray crystals are what cause caramel to seize - this brush-down step prevents that.

Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot so the probe is in the caramel but not touching the bottom. Let the caramel bubble - it will climb, which is why you want a tall pan. Pull the pot off the heat the moment it hits 235F. Carrying over to 240F is fine; pushing past it gives you hard candy instead of dippable caramel.

Give the caramel a minute off the heat, then stir in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. The vanilla adds depth and pulls everything together. Let the caramel sit and cool to about 190F before dipping - too hot and it slides right off the apple; too cool and it sets up in the pot.

While the caramel cools, set up everything you need to work fast. Chop a handful of peanuts on a small cutting board and put them in a bowl. Pour mini M&Ms and sprinkles into two more bowls. Lay a silicone baking mat (like a Silpat) on a tray - it's the only surface the cooled apples won't stick to. Parchment paper works in a pinch.

Pour the caramel into a small, deep bowl so you have enough depth to fully submerge the apple. Hold each apple by the stick, dip it straight down into the caramel, and give it a slow turn so the coating is even. Lift, let the excess drip off, and scrape the bottom against the rim of the bowl if you want less pooling.

Move fast - caramel sets quickly. Press or roll the dipped apple into your toppings while the coating is still tacky. One apple gets chopped peanuts, the next gets sprinkles, the next gets mini M&Ms, and the last one (the monster apple) gets a little of everything. Set each on the silicone mat to finish cooling.

There will be caramel left in the pot - don't toss it. Plop it onto the silicone mat (or a lightly oiled piece of parchment), spread it into a brick or log with a spatula, and let it cool completely. Once it's firm, cut it into squares with a sharp knife and wrap each piece in parchment paper. Homemade caramel candies, free.