Caramel Apple Board

Caramel Apple Bar — It’s caramel apple season and this caramel apple bar is a FUN and festive quintessential fall treat! EASY to prep and it’s a wonderful family family-friendly activity for kids and adults alike!

Caramel Apple Bar Ideas

Get ready for some fall-inspired fun with a caramel apple bar. I love that the apples are already in bite-sized wedges.

Nothing quite like trying to bite into a big caramel apple and either ending up with a face full of caramel, which is totally avoided here!

This caramel apple bar would be a great activity for kids on, say, a game day afternoon when the adults are focused on a football game, for anyone looking for a fall-themed birthday party idea, or even as a girls-night-in activity. May as well break out the wine or bubbly, in that case!

Another bonus is that if you have odds and ends in your pantry like a few Oreos, a bit of cereal, a small amount of nuts, some random sprinkles or jimmies from a baking project, the sky is the limit with what kind of caramel apple toppings to use.

Feel free to get creative and resourceful and clean out those cupboards and pantry in the process by using topping that you already have, but forgot about!

Caramel Apple Bar Ingredients 

For this fun fall-favorite idea, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Apples 
• Sprite
• Lollipop sticks
• Variety of toppings (more on that next) 
• Old-fashioned caramel sauce
• White chocolate melts
• Milk chocolate melts

Caramel Apple Bar Toppings

Not sure which toppings for caramel apples to lay out? I recommend picking at least four of the following toppings: 

• Mini Reese’s Pieces
• Diced candy bars (such as Snickers, Milky Way, peanut butter cups)
• Gummy bears
• Crushed Oreos
• Heath Bar Bits
• Nuts (roasted and salted work best)
• Trail mix,
• Cereals
• Cinnamon and sugar
• Sprinkles or jimmies

Feel free to use whatever toppings you’d like for your caramel apple charcuterie board! 

How to Make a Caramel Apple Bar

The possibilities are endless when creating this caramel apple board! Apples with caramel dip pair well with just about any sweet or salty toppings. 

1. Begin by coring and quartering the apples and dip them in Sprite, which helps prevent the apples from turning brown. It’s not perfect but it definitely helps.
2. Poke a lollipop stick in the apples. Alternatively, you can let people just spear their own apples. However, if you’re doing this with kids, it’s probably easier to just do it yourself.
3. Then to a variety of bowls add the various toppings, candies, and the caramel sauce.
4. Melt the white and milk chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave.
5. Get ready to dip away in either of the chocolate sauces or the caramel sauce and then in the toppings! 

What Kind Of Apples Are Best for Caramel Apples?

You can use either green or red apples. I prefer firmer apples; Granny Smith, Jonagold, and Honeycrisp are some great varieties.

However, you can use whatever type of apple you have on hand or are partial to.

What Kind of Caramel Sauce Is Best for Caramel Apples?

For this caramel apple board, I used store-bought old-fashioned caramel dip. You can use another store-bought variety of caramel dip or salted caramel sauce if you prefer.

If you’re feeling adventurous, a batch of my homemade Salted Caramel Sauce works wonderfully. If you’re not into the salty-sweet vibe, just omit the salt.

It’s similar to Trader Joe’s salted caramel sauce, which you can also use, but the homemade version is even better! You can also control the consistency by boiling it longer or shorter for thicker or thinner caramel sauce.

Do not use caramel sundae sauce, which is thinner, runnier, best suited over the top of a scoop of ice cream, and will not adhere to the apples well.

Tips for Making a Caramel Apple Charcuterie Board 

Soda vs. lemon juice: Many people think of lemon juice when it comes to keeping apples from turning brown but I find Sprite is just as easy and you don’t get the tartness and tang you would from lemon juice.

Cream soda also works to prevent oxidation. It’s the citric acid in both Sprite or cream soda that helps prevent it.

Presentation: I think it’s cuter to use different sized and shaped bowls, and of different colors, for the various toppings, caramel, and melted chocolate. Feel free to mix-and-match your bowls since you may not have perfectly coordinating bowls, but if you do — you break less dishes than (accidentally) I do!

Inserting the lollipop stick: When you’re trying to insert a lollipop stick into the apples, slightly thicker apple wedges work better than thin ones. Plus, they stand up better to the weight of the caramel, chocolate, and toppings.

White chocolate: White chocolate is optional when making caramel apples, but if you’re going to use it, I recommend Ghirardelli white chocolate melts. They don’t harden too quickly and are much easier to work with than say white chocolate chips, which are not only much more difficult to melt, but it’s hard to keep the melted chocolate to stay soft.

I also recommend the Ghirardelli milk chocolate melts for this reason, too. If you’re a dark chocolate fan, feel free to use it. 

Toppings for caramel apples: Mix and match the toppings as you see fit. The sky’s the limit!

Make ahead: Finally, it’s nice to have a few apples already dipped and made so that people, especially kids, can see what the finished result looks like.

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5 from 4 votes

Caramel Apple Board

By Averie Sunshine

It's caramel apple season and this caramel apple bar is a FUN and festive quintessential fall treat! EASY to prep and it's a wonderful family family-friendly activity for kids and adults alike!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 4 apples of different varieties*, See Notes
• ▢ 12- ounce bottle Sprite, Cream soda may be substituted
• ▢ 1 package lollipop sticks, at least 20-count
• ▢ 1 container old fashioned caramel, for dipping
• ▢ ½ cup white chocolate melts or wafers
• ▢ ½ cup milk chocolate melts or wafers

Toppings (Pick 4+)

• ▢ Mini Reese's Pieces
• ▢ Diced candy bars, Snickers, Milky Way, peanut butter cups, etc
• ▢ Gummy bears
• ▢ Crushed Oreos
• ▢ Heath Bar Bits
• ▢ Nuts
• ▢ Trail mix, cereals
• ▢ Cinnamon sugar
• ▢ Sprinkles or jimmies

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Quarter the apples, core them, remove all seeds. I do not peel them but you can.
• Pour the Sprite into a small bowl and dip the apples into the Sprite to prevent browning; set aside.
• Spear each apple wedge with a lollipop stick.** (See Notes)
• Set out the various toppings and caramel sauce in separate small bowls.
• To a microwave-safe bowl, add the white chocolate melts and melt according to package directions. Usually 30 seconds, stop to stir, repeat in 15 second bursts of heat until it can be stirred smooth.
• To a separate microwave-safe bowl, repeat the melting process with the milk chocolate melts.
• Add the apple slices to the board and allow everyone to dip their apples in the caramel, chocolate, and toppings as desired. Apples are best eaten freshly made.

Notes

*You can use either green or red apples. I prefer firmer apples such as Granny Smith, Jonagold, Honeycrisp are some great varieties. However, you can use whatever type of apple you have on hand or are partial to.

**When you’re inserting a lollipop stick into the apples, slightly thicker apple wedges work better than thin ones. Plus, they stand up better to the weight of the caramel, chocolate, and toppings. You can add sticks to all the apples or let people do it themselves however if you're doing this with kids, it's probably easier to just do it yourself in advance.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 250kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 71mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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