"caramel apple" news and stories

Happy Caramel Apple Day!

Although Kraft Foods claim their sales representative Dan Walker invented caramel apples in the 1950s -- boosting sales of Kraft caramels, no doubt -- the sweet treat actually dates back to the late 1800s, with the arrival of inexpensive caramel. Once a sought-after Halloween treat, its popularity coinciding with the autumnal harvest, caramel apples have all but disappeared on the trick-or-treat trail, as kids in recent years have been sworn to stick to prepackaged, sealed treats.

Nonetheless, caramel apples remain a Halloween staple, even if they may represent a bygone era. Martha Stewart's Classic Caramel Apple recipe is pretty kid-friendly, or if you'd prefer an adult version, try these directions for a festive Caramel Apple Martini. In sticking to the traditional recipe, the classic Red Delicious apple is often favored, but crisp and tart-flavored types like Granny Smith or McIntosh work well too -- just make sure to avoid overly sweet apples, so can you can aptly capture the proper sweet-tart balance of the dessert.

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Halloween may now be over, but so many of the fall foods we associate with the holiday are still perfectly appropriate up through the end of November (when we shift into December, I figure it's time to surrender the pumpkins and apples). This means that just because you didn't manage to make a batch of caramel apples before October expired, doesn't mean that you have to wait another year to do so.

The picture you see above comes from Everybody Likes Sandwiches. She adapted her recipe from one posted by Heidi at 101 Cookbooks. Thanks Jeannette, for adding your pic to the Slashfood pool.

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If you're ever in the mood for some extra food porn, the Post Punk Kitchen forums have a great section dedicated to it. This particularly mouthwatering photo is of Apple Peanut Butter Caramel Bars, which have a graham cracker crust, cooked apple filling, crumb topping and a layer of caramel. Although I haven't had a chance to try out the recipe myself yet, I suspect that the caramel is really the star of this dessert. Instead of being based on a sugar and butter combination, it is a mix of peanut butter and maple syrup, strong flavors that make a dangerously addictive combination - and a unique one at that. The caramel would also be a great topping for ice cream, if you don't want to make the whole dessert.

As you might suspect from the photo, these are not bars that you can pick up easily and eat out of your hand, as you might with a brownie or a cheesecake bar. They are so loaded up with stuff, the bars should be served sliced and plated, just a like a pie.

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A big photo is the perfect way to share the big flavors of this amazing looking Caramel Apple Cake from Peabody at Culinary Concoctions. The recipe is an adaptation of one of Paula Deen's favorites, Grandgirl's Fresh Apple Cake. The cake itself is moist and tender. The original uses a lot of pecans and some shredded coconut along with the apples, but this version uses chopped walnuts and raisins to better complement the topping.

Peabody baked the cake in individual-sized cake pans, rather than one large pan, and put together what might just be the most sweetly decadent topping we've seen in a while. It has gooey caramel, caramelized apples and a drizzle of white chocolate, for contrast. As you might expect, this is one sweet dessert, but we suspect that you'll have a hard time putting the fork down once you've picked it up and taken the first bite.

The full post can be read here: http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2006/09/05/the-caramel-apple-does-not-fall-far-from-the-tree/

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