Salted Caramel Apples with Toasted Pecans

Name: Salted Caramel Apples with Toasted Pecans
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 10 small tart, crisp apples, such as Granny Smith; 10 sturdy wooden sticks; 1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped; 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter; 1 cup packed light brown sugar; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup light corn syrup; 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 tsp flaky sea salt, for finishing

Chef-created by Chef Joel

Tart apples dipped in a soft, buttery homemade caramel cooked to exactly 242°F, rolled in toasted pecans and finished with flaky salt.

📝 Notes: Make these the morning of, or the day before and keep them loosely covered in the fridge; let them come to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Make two batches rather than doubling one pot, because a double batch takes so long to reach temperature that the bottom scorches. The common mistake is skipping the wax rub, and then the caramel puddles at the base. Hot sugar burns badly, so keep little helpers on pecan duty and away from the stove.

⏱ Prep 20m🔥 Cook 30m🕒 Total 50m🍽 10 servings

#halloween#holiday#vegetarian#gluten-free

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👨‍🍳 Cooking mode

Ingredients

10 smalltart, crisp apples, such as Granny Smith
10sturdy wooden sticks
1 1/2 cupspecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick)unsalted butter
1 cuppacked light brown sugar
1 cupgranulated sugar
1 cuplight corn syrup
1 (14-oz) cansweetened condensed milk
1 tspkosher salt
1 tspvanilla extract
2 tspflaky sea salt, for finishing

Nutrition / serving

520

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Approximate values.

Cost estimate

$16.00

Total (10 servings)

$1.60

Per serving

Approximate, based on the US national average ($1.30–$2.10/serving range).

My notes

Method

1
Dip the apples in hot tap water for a few seconds, then rub each one hard with a dry towel. Most store apples have a wax coating, and caramel slides right off it. Pull the stems and push a stick halfway into the stem end of each apple. Keep them at room temperature and bone dry: cold apples sweat, and the caramel slips.
2
Line a sheet pan with parchment and butter it lightly. Put the chopped pecans in a shallow bowl next to the stove.
3
Melt the butter in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add both sugars, the corn syrup, the condensed milk and the kosher salt, and stir with a heatproof spatula until it comes to a boil. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan with the tip in the caramel but not touching the bottom.
4
Keep stirring, scraping the bottom and corners constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the candy thermometer reads 242°F. Condensed milk scorches fast, so don't walk away. At 242°F the caramel sets soft and chewy; below about 238°F it stays too loose and slides off, and above about 248°F it's hard enough to pull out a filling.
5
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla (it will bubble up). Let the caramel cool for 5 to 10 minutes, until the thermometer reads about 200°F and it has thickened slightly. Caramel that's too hot runs off in a thin, see-through layer.
6
Tilt the pan so the caramel pools on one side. Dip each apple and twirl it to coat it to about 1/2 inch from the stick, then let the excess drip back into the pan and scrape the bottom against the rim.
7
Roll the bottom half in the pecans, set it on the prepared pan and sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt while the caramel is still tacky. If the caramel gets too thick to dip, warm it over low heat for a minute, stirring.
8
Let the apples set for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving. At a party, cut them into wedges with a sharp knife: easier for small hands, and the caramel goes further.