Inside Out Caramel Apples

http://domesticfits.com/2011/10/12/inside-out-caramel-apples/

Inside Out Caramel Apples

3 large Granny Smith apples
1 large lemon
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbs butter
2 tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Chocolate sauce (optional)

Cut your apples in half and use a melon baller to scoop out the insides, leaving the walls intact at about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thickness.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon onto the apples and allow to set. This will keep them from turning brown right away.

In a sauce pan over high heat, add the brown sugar, butter, heavy cream and corn syrup. Stir until the brown sugar has dissolved. Then leave it to boil, untouched (don’t stir), until it reaches 230 degrees, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stir until it stops bubbling. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.

Using a paper towel, wipe your apples down, removing the lemon juice as much as possible. If the inside of your apple is too wet, the caramel wont stick.

Pour the caramel into the hollowed out apples until just below the top.

Sprinkle with pecans.

Chill in the refrigerator until the caramel has set, about 20 minutes.

Cut into slices and drizzle with chocolate sauce if desired.

I used the same chocolate sauce that I used on these cupcakes, and put it in a Wiltons squeeze bottle.

I feel like I need to add a Caramel Addendum. The caramel in this post is easy to make, but it does have a bit of a maple flavor and isn’t a traditional caramel. The reason I used this, instead of a more traditional caramel, is because it’s so easy to make. Traditional caramel burns easy and has a small amber window of doneness before it’s ruined.

But you have other options, if you want to make these.

You can use a more traditional caramel, like I used on the Homemade Twix. But it is more tricky than the one I used for this post. (This also may be very difficult to cut)

You can also make “Cheater Caramel Sauce.” I used to make this, years ago, when I was still really new to cooking. Just take 2 cups of store bought caramel squares (out of the wrapper, of course) and melt them in a sauce pan over low heat, with 2 tbs of corn syrup. Looks like this type of caramel is giving people some problems when it comes to cutting the apples

If you buy caramel sauce, make sure it is really firm at room temperature or it will just run all over the place once you cut the apples into slices.