While I love making homemade everything, I took the easy way out with my caramel apples this year and I do not regret it. I have a fantastic homemade salted caramel recipe that’s amazing for dipping apples in, but coating them with it is another story. It’s a tad runny which makes it perfect for drip cakes and flavoring buttercream, but in order to get a thick caramel coating on an apple you have to coat it, refrigerate, repeat. Instead, I bought a package of Kraft Caramels and followed the melting instructions on the back of the package. It tastes amazing and you have perfectly coated caramel apples in minutes, so I consider it a winner. 

Some toppings I’ve loved for caramel apples in the past have been crushed Oreos, chopped nuts, and M&M’s, but the topping list is pretty endless. I recently took a trip to Disneyland and after seeing sprinkled caramel apples there I knew I had to try it. Right on cue, SprinklePop sent me their #Blessed sprinkle mix and it became the ideal opportunity to sprinkle some caramel apples. 

The combination of red, brown, orange, and gold sprinkles are the ideal Fall color scheme. Plus, you’ll find some cute additional autumnal sprinkles in there: tiny pumpkin pie slices, acorns, and turkeys! The larger spherical sprinkles are actually Sixlets, so you get a little bit of chocolate in those bites. 

Here’s a quick video of the decorating process before I show you how to create these sprinkley treats below: 

You Will Need

• 5 apples, de-waxed and chilled
• Popsicle sticks or cookie sticks
• 1 package of Kraft Caramels
• Microwave safe bowl
• Wax or parchment paper
• 4 oz bottle of #Blessed sprinkles (or any favorite SprinklePop mix)

Step 1: Prepare The Apples

The perfect caramel apples all begin with some chilled and de-waxed apples. I love using Fuji or Honeycrisp apples, but you can feel free to use any favorite variety. De-waxing them will help the caramel adhere to the apple, and you can do that by running them under hot water and wiping them with a towel to remove the wax coating.

Once they’re de-waxed, stick them in the refrigerator for a few hours (or overnight) to get them nice and chilled for dipping. When it comes time to melt that caramel, be sure to remove the stems and insert a popsicle stick or cookie stick into the tops of the apples. 

Step 2: Melt The Caramel 

When your apples are prepped, you can start melting the caramel. Simply unwrap the Kraft Caramels one by one and place them into a glass bowl. I followed the microwave melting directions by adding 1 Tbsp of water and microwaving for one minute, stirring, then melting for an additional 30 seconds. If you’d rather melt them on the stove, the package instructions include a way to do that. 

One package of Kraft Caramel is enough for five apples, so if you need more than that be sure to adjust the amount of caramel to suit your needs. I suggest working in small batches because the caramel doesn’t take long to set once it’s on the apples. 

Step 3: Dip The Apples 

Once your caramel is melted, it’s ready to go, so start dipping those apples! Spread out a sheet of wax or parchment paper on a flat surface and one by one, dip each apple in caramel.

The apples only need about five minutes to set once their coated with caramel, so by the time you’re done with the last apple it’s time to move on to the next step.

Step 4: Add Sprinkles

Place the sprinkles into a shallow bowl that’s big enough for dipping an apple in. I set aside some of the larger sprinkles in the mix so I could hand place them. One by one, dip the caramel apples into the sprinkles.

Add some of the larger sprinkles afterwards wherever you’d like. 

These sprinkled caramel apples are ready to enjoy right away, but if you want to gift them or store them for awhile, you can keep them in the refrigerator for up to a week. And by the way, while I absolutely adore the #Blessed sprinkles for this technique, it will work with any of SprinklePop’s amazing sprinkles! There’s something for every look you could want with your caramel apples.

Disclaimer: This originally appeared as a guest post on SprinklePop’s blog and I was compensated by SprinklePop for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post How To Make Sprinkled Caramel Apples appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

One of my favorite things to do with my homemade salted caramel recipe is incorporate it into buttercream. It ends up being such an awesome blend of sweet and salty, perfect for topping cakes and cupcakes or using as a cake filling. It can transform basic cake flavors like chocolate and vanilla into something above and beyond, and it also adds complexity to Fall-inspired flavors like apple spice cake. Whatever flavors you love pairing with caramel, this salted caramel buttercream is magic!

It all starts with a great homemade salted caramel recipe, like this one. It’s only four ingredients, easy as can be, and you don’t even need a candy thermometer to make it! Making the salted caramel from scratch is the key to this beautiful caramel buttercream flavor, so if you have your own favorite salted caramel recipe, feel free to incorporate it into the buttercream recipe below. Just avoid premade salted caramel sauces that tend to be overly sweet, because they might send the sweetness level of this buttercream way over the top.

When you’ve got your salted caramel made and ready to go, make sure you give it enough time for cooling to room temperature before you add it into the buttercream recipe. It’ll be very hot and runny when you remove it from the stove, and allowing it to cool will not only ensure that your buttercream doesn’t melt into soup, but the caramel will get thicker and more flavorful as it sets. If you prefer to make the salted caramel ahead of time, that’s fine too! You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to make the buttercream, just microwave it in 15 second intervals to bring it back to room temperature.

Once your ingredients are all room temperature and ready to go, all you need is a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and about ten minutes from start to finish. The process is about as basic as it gets when it comes to an American buttercream recipe, but the end result is buttery salted caramel magic that you’ll want to eat by the spoonful!

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Salted Caramel Buttercream

A sweet and salty caramel buttercream, perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes or using as a cake filling. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) salted caramel, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on high until it’s fluffy and light (almost white in color), 5-6 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle a few times in between. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each interval. Add the vanilla. 
• With the mixer still on low, add the salted caramel. Add a pinch of salt, increase the speed to medium, and mix for 2 full minutes.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: You can make this salted caramel buttercream ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix with your stand mixer on low speed to bring it back to smooth buttercream consistency. 

Yield: This buttercream makes enough to:

• Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
• Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe. 

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