A crisp, juicy apple is dipped in rich, buttery caramel for an extra-thick, gooey coating. It’s then rolled in crunchy chopped pecans for the perfect sweet-and-salty bite, and finished with a decadent drizzle of silky semi-sweet chocolate.

Anyone who knows me…knows that it just isn’t Fall until I have made my traditional Double Caramel Apples!

If the thicker gooey caramel wasn’t enough, I pack on a few more calories and add chopped pecans, then drizzle it… with dark chocolate. (There’s no point drizzling if you aren’t going to do it heavily! Lol) 

I love making these treats for family and friends! It’s so much fun! I know they look gourmet and hard, they’re not! 

They’re simple! You’ll wonder why you’ve spent so much on them at a certain Rocky Chocolate place when you can make ones just as good at home!

Ingredient List

• 5 medium apples — Granny Smith or Honey Crisp are my preferred apples. I like to mix a tart apple with all the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate.
• 5 bamboo sticks
• 1- 13 ounce package Kraft caramels, unwrapped
• ¼ cup Light Corn Syrup
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup, 6 ounces, semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or 1 teaspoon coconut
• Parchment paper or non-stick cooking spray

How to Make Caramel Apples

Prepare your ingredients beforehand to make assembling the caramel apples easy. Begin by preparing a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper, or spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.

TIP: I prefer to use parchment paper. The caramel will not stick to it, and it makes cleaning a breeze. I also cut the parchment paper into squares to wrap around the apples and store them in individual baggies. The parchment will keep the apples from sticking to the packaging.

Best Apples for Best results

You can use any apple you like. I like Granny Smith apples, Honey Crisp, or Pink Ladies. I highly recommend a tart and firm apple. There are so many new varieties to choose from. I find tart with all the caramel and chocolate creates a great balance.

Preparing Apples for Dipping

The first trick to making caramel apples…any caramel apple, is to get rid of that pesky wax coating! (Unless you prefer your caramel to slip off your apple and onto the floor?)

I’ve tried a lot of different techniques over the years and this one works best for me. If you leave them sitting out on the counter, and you don’t refrigerate them, that caramel is going to slip off no matter what!

The best way to clean them is to fill a medium sauce pan with water and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling, quickly dip each apple and twirl it around for a second. Use a dry paper towel and quickly wipe off as much wax as you can.

Using a soft vegetable brush and water with baking soda, I scrub off the remaining wax and dry the apples off.

TIP: The ONLY exception to this is if you pick the apples fresh off the tree and you know they haven’t been sprayed with wax to preserve them.

Dipping Caramel

Prepare the caramel dip by unwrapping all the caramel in one 13-ounce bag of Kraft Caramels. Place them in a small microwaveable glass bowl.

Tip: Use a glass bowl, not a plastic bowl. Glass holds the heat and keeps your caramel softer longer. Another handy tip, make sure you have sticks on hand. The bags of caramel no longer come with sticks for your apples. I purchased the round 6-inch bamboo sticks from Amazon.

To the unwrapped caramels, add 1/4 cup light corn syrup. Remember these are “Double” caramel apples, so we won’t be adding water to the caramels like the traditional recipe calls for, just corn syrup. It makes a nice thick caramel.

Place the bowl in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Carefully check and stir the caramels. If they are not melted, place them back in for another minute, then check again. It shouldn’t take more than 4 minutes. Mine took exactly 2 minutes.

Using hot pads, carefully remove the caramels from the microwave and stir quickly. They should be creamy and perfectly melted. If too runny, let the caramel set for a minute before you begin to dip the apples.

Dipping Apples

Time for my favorite part…the dip and twirl. I love dipping the apples and twirling them around, making sure that just a tiny bit of the green peeks out from the top!

I’m pretty good at the dip and twirl. As long as it’s on an apple and not the dance floor! That would be a disaster of epic proportions.

After you have dipped the apple in the caramel, hold the apple over the bowl and let any excess caramel drip off into the bowl. Once it slows, scrape the bottom of the apple along the edge of the bowl.

If dipping them in the nuts, do so now.

If you don’t like nuts, just skip this step and place the apple on the parchment paper.

Here’s the beauty of this recipe. You can stop at any point. If you just want caramel and no nuts and no chocolate… You are done after dipping. If you want nuts and no chocolate…you are done now. It’s totally up to your personal tastes. Aren’t they beautiful? It’s that thick double caramel effect thanks to the corn syrup!

Place the dipped apples in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the caramel to set.

Chocolate Drizzle

While the apples are setting up, let’s talk chocolate! I like to drizzle my nut rolled caramel apples with a bit of semi-sweet chocolate.

Disclaimer: Here at this Nest, we’ve established that all calories vanish when real fruits and veggies are involved in desserts and treats. No carbs were injured in the making of this treat!

Preparing chocolate

For the chocolate drizzle, place one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl.  Add one teaspoon of vegetable oil or coconut oil. Heat for 2 minutes on 50% power! Check. If they are melted, stir until smooth. If they haven’t melted, place them back in the microwave for another minute on 50% power. Then stir again.

Since you are using a glass bowl that holds the heat, the chocolate will continue to melt as you stir. 

Place a zip lock sandwich bag inside a mug. Fold the edges of the bag over the lip of the mug. Scoop the melted chocolate into the zip lock bag.

Remove the filled chocolate bag from the mug and seal the bag gently, pushing any extra air out of the bag as you go. Snip the bottom corner of the bag then squeeze to drizzle chocolate over the apples.

Drizzling Chocolate and Finishing the Apples

Using the slightly cooled, chocolate filled Ziploc bag… Drizzle away! You can also top them with a little crushed sea salt to add a little zing of flavor! (Rumor has it salt on apples is good.) 

Place the apples back in the refrigerator to allow the chocolate set up. About 10 minutes. Once it is set and firm, then you can cover the apple with parchment paper or place it in individual cello bags with a ribbon.

If you’ve covered them with nuts and chocolate, they shouldn’t stick to the bag (fingers crossed. Wink-wink) Store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

TIP: If you forget to place them in the refrigerator, the caramel will slowly, but steadily, still slide down the apple. Even though we remove the wax, it will still happen. Apples produce a natural wax on the outside to protect them, so it’s almost impossible not to have some wax on the apple causing slide offs.

Recipe Wrap-Up

When you are ready to eat an apple, remove it from the refrigerator about 15–20 minutes beforehand. Warm to room temperature and the caramel will be nice and soft and gooey.

I like to cut my apple off the stick, but you can eat it directly off the stick…as long as your teeth are firmly rooted in your gums! Lol

The tart of the granny smith with the creamy goodness of the sweet caramel is such a delightfully addicting blend. YUM!

This is one of my favorite fall treats and one that my whole family loves. We all make them with different toppings!

Other Favorite Fall Recipes

• Cranberry Orange Cake with Butter Orange Glaze
• Apple Pecan Cobbler 
• Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
• Caramel Apple Crisp
• Country Apple Dumplings with Cinnamon Sauce

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you make these with your family and start a new fall tradition. It’s such a delicious and fun way to welcome Fall.

As always… Happy Nesting!

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