Caramel Crunch

Recipe: Caramel Candy Apple Slices

Are you in the mood for something sweet n' fruity, tart n' crunchy? Then, you must try these Caramel Apples. I never realized, till I tasted these beauties, that caramel with apple is such a wonderful combination. They are just like a match made in heaven :)




Usually whole apples on sticks are dipped in caramel to make caramel apples. But the thought of eating an entire apple always overwhelms me. And hence the apples were sliced. The crunchy and tart varieties of apples are best for making these caramel wonders. The green (Granny Smith) or the pink (Fuji) apples are crunchy and tart whereas the red ones are softer inside and sweeter.




This is another one of those really easy recipes. And takes just about 15 minutes to whip up.

CARAMEL CANDY APPLE SLICES


Ingredients:


For the Caramel topping: (sufficient for topping 3-4 apples)
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1/8 cup
Salted Butter - 1/2 cup (if you are using unsalted butter, do add a 1/4 tsp of salt)

Place a heavy bottomed pan over a medium flame. Put in the sugar, water, butter and salt (if using). It is important to just leave this. I repeat DO NOT STIR. Just leave it as it is on the medium flame.

After sometime, the sugar and butter will melt and boil and bubble. Even now, do not stir the pan. Resist the temptation to meddle with the mixture in the pan :)

Then after some more time, you will notice, the sides of the mixture starting to get brown. Now you are allowed to give a quick stir so that the mixture browns evenly.

Let the mixture become a light brown colour and switch off flame. The pan is still hot, so the sugar will continue to caramelize to a deeper colour just sitting in the hot pan. That is why it is important to switch off the flame when the mixture is light brown all over and  before it gets a deep caramel colour.

Let the mixture turn a lovely caramel colour in the hot pan and it will be the consistency of a thick sauce (in about a minute or two). If you keep the caramel untouched for long, it will harden and will not be pour-able. (In case the caramel hardens, it can be reheated on a low flame and it will melt and be pour-able again)

Assembly:
Sliced Apples - 3-4
Caramel topping from the above recipe

Slice the apples ahead and arrange them as per your likes on a serving plate. Pour the caramel topping as liberally as you want over the apple slices. Pour more of it, if you like it more sweet and caramel-y.




Every crunchy bite into the caramel-laden apple slices is like a burst of sweetness, tartness and fruitiness - light and fresh till the last bite. These are best eaten on the day they are made within 1-2 hours of making them as the caramel tends to absorb the moisture from the apples and then become watery. (Thanks to my friend, Swetha, for letting me know about this as in my house, these hardly last for an hour after they are made)




This would go very well with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. The caramel topping alone will also be superb with vanilla ice-cream :)

I'm sending this fruity, crunchy, sweet delight to Magpie's for her week-long event to celebrate the Indian Cricket team winning the world cup.

I'm also sending this to Rumana's event "Treat to your eyes-series 2". Rumana blogs at "Spice Ur Senses"