Caramel Apples

I took a gourmet caramel apple class and it was so much fun!  I can't wait to recreate them. It's best to use Granny Smith apples- because of their tartness. Once you make the apples they are good up to 2 weeks- not that they last that long!

Ingredients:
Apples- Costco has great apples- big and round
Peters Caramel 5lb brick- I'm all about homemade caramel but this works bests and sets up well.
Chocolate- Now there's a lot to consider with chocolate- for example- do NOT use chocolate bark. Sure it sets up well but unless you want people to eat your apples only use it for drizzling chocolate on your apples.
I bought my chocolate at Orson Gygi's- they have a great selection. However my favorite place to shop for chocolate and caramel is Bakers Cash and Carry- LOVE that place!

Different chocolate:
Callebaut Callets- which is real chocolate that needs tempering or will set up with white streaks
Callebaut Snaps- are a better version of compound chocolate (chocolate bark) doesn't need tempering
A'peels- least expensive, compound chocolate that doesn't need tempering
White chocolate- use snaps instead of the callets- less expensive and the real chocolate is way too rich
Also- I like the buy the callets instead of the gaint chocolate bars so I can use a little at a time and not have to keep breaking away at the candy bar.

I used dark and milk Callebaut callets and white chocolate Callebaut snaps for the apples.

Toppings:
keep some chocolate for drizzling
cinnamon and sugar
sliced almonds/ peanuts
broken zagnuts- middle of butterfingers
broken pretzels
sanding sugar- red on white chocolate is awesome- red on chocolate has a gold shimmer- love it!!
coconut
toffee pieces

Other things you need:
sticks and a mallot to pound into your apples
C4 bags are the ones big enough for apples
Ribbon

Wash and dry your apples and get all the wax off or the caramel won't stick
Pound in sticks with a mallot
Heat the caramel in a heavy pan- don't boil- just melt to a pouring consistancy- if it becomes too thin turn down the heat.
Take the apple in your left hand and dip into caramel. Use right hand to spoon caramel over apple. I like to leave some room at the top so you can still see part of the apple.  Scrape off bottom of apple with a spoon. Shake apple over caramel to get some of the excess off.
If you don't want to dip the apple in chocolate and want to use topppings- press the toppings into the apple at this point and set on wax paper to set up. Place in cool spot to chill and dry before using chocolate. *Note- zagnuts don't stick well with chocolate so press them into the caramel and drizzle with chocolate.

Heat chocolate callets by placing them into a plastic or glass bowl and heating them on power level 4 or 5 or 40% power for 1 min at first then 20-30 seconds and stirring each time until 80% of the chocolate is melted. Stir the choclate well until all the pieces have melted.

Once apples are chilled and set- dip into chocoalte and shake excess off in bowl. (if you don't shake them you will get some feet pooling at the bottom of your apple) then you can add toppings such as sanding sugar- spoon sanding sugar onto the apple over a cookie sheet to avoid a HUGE mess. 
Use white chocolate for the cinnamon and sugar apple-
Let dry before drizzling apple with choclate.

Good luck!  The options are really endless with these apples- You'll be seeing them again around Christmas :)