Gift Giving: Dipped & Dripped Chocolate Carmel Apples

This week I am catering a dinner party. The menu item I am most excited about is the party favor. 

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory makes sublime Covered Apples. And I started to visualize these beautifully dipped apples at each plate, wrapped in cellophane & ribbon, and I was sold.

The grocery store I was at did not have enough good looking apples in any variety I thought would work, with the exception of Jazz. 

I would have liked Granny Smith...but sometimes you just work with what you've got.

I began with a simple Carmel Mixture that worked for roughly 9 mid-sized apples:

1 C. packed Brown Sugar

1/2 Light Corn Syrup

1/4 C. Butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 can Sweetened Cond. Milk (~1/2 cup)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan

2. Add Brown Sugar & Corn Syrup

3. Stir Constantly (wooden spoon) over med. heat

4. Add Sweetened Cond. Milk

5. Bring mixture to 245 degrees (candy thermometer)

6. Remove from heat, add Vanilla & let cool to 210 degrees

7. Twist stem off washed & dried apples

8. Insert wooden or paper sticks

9. Dip in carmel 

10. Let dry on parchment paper & then dip in melted Chocolate

(I heated 2 cups of Bittersweet Ghirardelli in a double boiler & dipped the apples right there on my stove)

11. While the chocolate is wet dip in Toasted Coconut or Salted Pecans

(I did both - 4 of each & used 1 c. coconut & 1-1/4 c. pecans & returned them to the parchment to dry)

12. Melt 3/4 cup White Chocolate & place in a small ziploc

13. Cut the very corner off & drizzle over the apples 

Best of all these beauties can be made ahead & stored in a refrigerator. They will last for 2-3 weeks.

May your days be merry & Chocolatey!