Ooey-Gooey Caramel-Dipped Chocolate Apples

October is for fall, entrepreneur awards, football, cozy sweaters and great food.

Every time we pass by a caramel apple in a store, we wonder, “Can I just make my own? What’s the trick to getting everything to stick just right? Can I do this with the kids in the family?”

Let’s try it!

Ingredients:

• Apples, firm and semi-sweet Granny Smith, Gala or McIntosh are great choices
• Classic, store-bought caramel bits
• Your choice of milk or dark chocolate, such as Ghirardelli chocolate melting wafers
• Sprinkles, chopped peanuts or even potato chips
• Craft or popsicle stick
• Wax paper, cookie sheet

What to do:

Day one

Wash your apples in warm water and dry completely.

Chill in the fridge for a day.

Day two

Insert a sturdy popsicle stick into each apple and

set aside.

Slowly melt your classic caramel bits with a bit of water or 2 tablespoons of milk in a sauce pan over low heat.

Once your caramel is silky smooth, working quickly, hold the apple over your saucepan and spoon the caramel over it until it’s completely covered. You could also simply dip the apple into the caramel — watch your fingers!

Set your apple on a waxed-paper-lined tray or cookie sheet and let set in fridge.

When the caramel is set, drizzle melted chocolate over the apple. You can lightly drizzle or cover the entire apple.

Before it dries, customize your apple with sprinkles, chopped nuts or anything you’d like.

Let set and enjoy! *Don’t forget safe storage in a refrigerator.

Helpful tips

If melting chocolate chips, you may need to add vegetable shortening to get the right consistency.

Chilling your apples for a day will help the caramel stick.

Buy plenty of caramel and chocolate to cover as many apples as you wish, an 11-ounce bag of caramels should cover about 5 apples.