National Caramel Apple Day | October 31 & Halloween!

National Caramel Apple Day on October 31st celebrates a time-honored fall treat. Many of us remember eating caramel apples or making them with family. Whether it was at a fair, carnival, or Halloween party, it was a special treat. Sometimes we even made them at home. No matter where we enjoyed them, the memory is a good one.

Caramel apples go by many names – taffy apples or even candy apples. They’re made by skewering apples on a stick and then dipping them in hot caramel. We make them extra delicious by rolling them in nuts, chocolate, or other candies.

Sheet caramel allows for the high production of candy apples. The sheets of caramel are wrapped around the apples and then heated to melt the caramel evenly. The best caramel apples are made with tart crisp apples, such as Granny Smith or Fuji apples. Since apples come into season during the fall, Halloween is the ideal time of year to enjoy caramel apples.

The caramel-apple flavor is also a fall favorite. It finds its way into beverages, cakes, and other desserts. Add caramel to just about any apple recipe for a bit of caramel apple flavor. It also complements savory dishes, such as pork.

Host a caramel apple-making day. Invite family and friends to make candy apples with you. Ask them to bring their favorite toppings. Celebrate with hot apple cider and sweet laughter.

Try this delicious recipe or share your own. Experiment with the caramel apple taste in the kitchen.

Share your creations by taking photos and posting on social media using #CaramelAppleDay.

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Easy Caramel Apple Coffee Cake features a brown sugar cinnamon apple cake layered with sweet streusel and topped off with salted caramel. It’s the perfect simple fall treat EVERYONE will love!

Ingredients

For the Streusel:

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (64 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (56 grams) salted caramel sauce
For the Coffee Cake:
2 cups (254 grams) Bob’s Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
8 ounces (227 grams) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (200 grams)
2 tablespoons (56 grams) salted caramel sauce, for drizzling
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the streusel:
In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients except caramel with a fork until crumbly.

Make the cake:
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce before serving.
Cut into slices and serve. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients

Perfect Spiced Pie Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) salted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup vegetable shortening or lard

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1 egg, lightly beaten
Pie Filling:

6 to 7 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt
Crumb Topping:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup quick oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 jar (or more) caramel topping
Directions

WATCH Watch how to make this recipe.
Special equipment: a pastry cutter
For the perfect spiced pie crust: Mix the flour, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening. Work the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. Add the white vinegar, egg and 5 tablespoons cold water and stir until just combined.
Form 2 equal-sized balls. Place each in a large plastic bag (do not seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin; this makes it much easier to roll out the crust later. After flattening, seal the bag tightly. Place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to chill.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove 1 bag of dough from the freezer (save the other dough for another use), remove the dough from the bag and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough starting at the center and working outward. Be gentle and patient; it’ll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out. If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below while rolling, use a metal spatula to loosen it. When fully rolled out, loosen again with a spatula and lift the pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan (or you can roll the pastry over the rolling pin, lift it onto the pie pan and unroll it).

Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan and tear off any excess dough. Then tuck under the edges and go around the pie pan pinching the dough to crimp the edge.
For the pie filling: In a bowl, mix the apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour and salt. Set aside.

For the crumb topping: Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, then add in the brown sugar, oats and salt.
Add the apples to the prepared pie shell and top with the crumb topping.

Bake for 1 hour, covering the edge of the crust with foil if it starts to brown too quickly. After an hour, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the pie, then bake for a further 5 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and pour 1/2 jar (or more, if you’re feeling dangerous and naughty) of caramel topping over the top. Allow to cool slightly before serving — or don’t if you can’t wait!

Cook’s Note
This recipe makes 2 crusts, but only 1 is used for the pie. Freeze the other crust until you need it, then thaw for about 20 minutes before using.

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