Salted Caramel Apples

Salted caramel apples – who knew they could be so delicious?!  I remember when I first heard of salted caramel one summer abroad in France several years ago. Caramel fleur de sel, they called it – literally,  flower of salt. I had thought to myself that it just couldn’t be right, especially since I’m not the biggest fan of salty and sweet combinations. Well.. I was surely wrong about that! Caramel fleur de sel gelato is oh-so-right!

One of my favorite fall treats is a homemade caramel apple. I had picked up this salted caramel apple kit after my Sur La Table cooking class a few weeks back (currently sold out at Sur La Table, but can also be purchased directly from Urban Accents). I had been waiting for the right time to whip up a batch of these, and after bringing home quite a few fresh local apples from the Apple Squeeze, I thought this weekend to be the perfect opportunity.

Even though I’ve made caramel before, I always seem to forget that it is really just boiled down sugar, butter and cream. I always wonder how it gets from point A (a milky mixture) to point B (a very thick, very sticky true caramel), but somewhere in the heating process the mixture changes consistency almost instantly. At that point it’s so important not to overcook it, for risk of burning it. The kit calls for a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature; however, I just watched it closely. Despite a few questionable moments of boiling and bubbling up, the caramel turned out to be authentic and smooth!

Anyone else making homemade caramel apples this fall? With or without sea salt?
xo -L