What says "FALL" better than...

Caramel apples!  Yum...  That thought hit me on the first day of fall this year!  Granted, it wasn't chilly in the least, but I decided to make a go of it!  Most of the store-bought caramels I could find had artificial flavors and/or colors in them, so we made our own!

Supplies:
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 cups milk (or heavy cream, if you have it)
3/4 cup light corn syrup (Okay, shoot me, but I at least use the kind with real vanilla! ;) I'm going to use honey in my next try...)
Dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
Apples
Heavy cooking pan
Sturdy spoon
Popsicle sticks

Recipes vary, and sometimes (okay, MOST of the time) I substitute something I have or prefer instead of using the actual ingredients in my recipes.  Hence the MILK instead of CREAM in my recipe.  (Who keeps heavy cream around the house?  Certainly not me...)

Heat all ingredients except vanilla to boiling in heavy pan over medium heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat slightly.  Boil about 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is caramel colored. 

The longer you cook it, the more stiff it will be.  If it's cooked to a light caramel color, it will be more like a caramel DIP; darker caramel could be cut in pieces and wrapped, if it lasts that long...  :D  Stir in vanilla, let cool for 15-30 minutes while you prepare the apples.

For my girls, I put the apples on a popsicle stick to make them easier to coat. 

I suppose you could use a lollipop stick, a skewer or even a FORK for the handle.  No need to get all hoity-toity...  :)

I gave them all a small bowl of caramel and a spoon to spread it on.  Make sure the caramel is still pretty warm, so it spreads easier.

If I'd thought ahead better, I'd have gotten some crushed peanuts/cashews/pecans, some chocolate chips (Aldi has all-natural ones), and/or coconut for toppings too, but I didn't.  Maybe next time.

On the other hand, who needs an apple?  Caramel is pretty good on a spoon, too...  :)

Done!  Time to enjoy!

Even the baby gets in on the caramel apple craze...

Yummy!

Caramel apples are SO GOOD, but what could be better than spending time cooking and creating with my precious little ones?  I'd say it's a WIN all around.  :)