Caramel Apples (Improv Cooking Challenge #1)

Caramel Apples

I was thrilled when I was invited to the Improv Cooking Challenge hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain...a perfect monthly challenge for me that I could adapt to what I like to make...Sweets!

 

First Months Challenge: Caramel and Apples

Immediately, I thought Caramel and Apple Cupcakes of course! Then, I began thinking, I have never even had a Caramel Apple. I will make the obvious: Caramel Apples! I will even dip them in Candy Melts and make them cute! How hard can that be? Besides, I am probably the only person on Earth that has never had a Caramel Apples!

Ingredients For 5 Caramel & Candy Covered Apples:

5 Apples (rinsed and dried)

1 bag of Caramels

1/2 bag of Orange Candy Melts

5 sticks (I used Lollipop Sticks)

Black Candy Writer

1 tablespoon of water

  

Directions:

I started by opening the caramels, trying not to eat too many! I put the unwrapped caramels in the microwave with for 1 minute, pulled them out and stirred them. Then back in the microwave for another minute. Well, that was too long, they had begun to bubble over. This may have been because I forgot the 1 tablespoon of water, so I added that in, stirred it up and we were back in business!

I shoved the lollipop stick into the apple and sat the apple in the bowl of melted caramel, using a plastic spoon to cover the apple in the caramel. After each apple was dipped, I placed it on a butter coated piece of waxed paper.

Once they were all dipped, I put them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes for the caramel to harden back up.

My teenage daughter made good use of the leftover caramel, dipping her apples in it!

At this point, I thought they looked pretty nice, but I wasn't done yet!

I melted 1/2 the bag of the Orange Candy Melts with 1/2 tsp of shortening (that is the white spot in there) in the microwave for 1 minute at 50% power, stirring halfway. This is when things got a little rough! I pulled the apples out of the refrigerator to find they were still gooey, so I popped them in the freezer for a few minutes. I thought dipping them in the Candy Melts would be easy, well it is a lot harder to shake the melted candy off an apple than a cake pop! The Candy Melts weren't covering the apple smoothly either, as the caramel started to get soft again. So a quick dip in the Candy Melt pool and I used my finger to wipe off the excess candy...I am calling that the rustic look!

I drew the faces on with the Duff Candy Writer (just stick the tube in hot water to melt and draw away.) I made 3 like this. The one in the middle was the first and it kinda resembles what happens to a Jack-o-Lantern after it sits outside after Halloween too long!

I left the other 2 apples alone and sitting pretty!

(Refrigerate extras. Let sit out 15 minutes before enjoying!)

"You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it!"

(Quote by Linus- Repeated by my daughter Kaitlyn)

There you have it, my adventure in making... and eating my first Caramel Apple!

(Yummy, Sticky, Gooey, Sweetness!)

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   These Apples are Shared at:

Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday

Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Around My Family Table: Turning the Table Thursday

Talking Dollars and Cents: Sweet Temptations

It's A Keeper: It's A Keeper Thursday

The Artsy Girl Connection: Pin'Inspirational Thursdays

Happy Hour Projects: Freestyle Friday

Alli N Son: Sweet Tooth Friday

Mangoes and Chutney: Fat Camp Friday

Bacon Time: Anything Goes Linky

Tidy Mom: I'm Lovin' It

RoCa and Company: You Rock!

Blissful and Domestic: Feature Friday

Cupcake Apothecary: A Themed Bakers Sunday

 

These Apple are Featured at:

Bacon Time: 26 Fantasic Fall Features

Article at Examiner.com

Notice: As of 11/6/2011 sadly Lady Behind the Curtain and The Improv Cooking Challenge are no longer available.

As of 11/7/2011 A Big Thank you to Karen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker for taking over the "Improv Challenge."

Butterscotch Cupcakes with Salty Caramel Frosting

 I often go through my cookbooks using makeshift bookmarks like tiny pieces of paper or old receipts, whatever is near me at the time, to mark recipes or designs I want to make and I have many marked off, especially in the Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cupcakes. Until, last night, I had something totally different planned on my list of things to bake today and at the last minute I started thinking of something different. Most of the time I create my cupcakes around a design, because that's what I like! I have kids and I am just a big kid myself and like fun looking cupcakes! But today, I decided to change it up a bit with different flavors and try the Butterscotch Cupcakes with Salty Caramel Frosting that was calling my name out of the Betty Crocker The Big Book of Cupcakes!

Cupcakes

2-1/2 cups AP flour

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened (I used margarine)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup of milk

    

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. In large bowl beat margarine, and sugar for about 2 minutes, occassional scrapping the bowl. Add in one egg at a time, beating well after each one. Add in vanilla. Turn mixer to low speed and alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beat just until blended. Mix in 3/4 cup butterscotch chips. Fill 24 cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 18-20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

 
While the cupcakes are cooling...

  

Frosting

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used margarine)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

3-1/2 cups confectioners sugar

  

In 2 qt saucepan, melt margarine over medium, slowly whisk in brown sugar and continue to whisk with heat on medium until boiling. Whisk in milk. Continue whisking on medium until boiling. This whole process just takes a few minutes. Once boiling remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. (Set your timer!) After 30 minutes, gradually whisk in confectioners sugar, it will start out lumpy, but the lumps will whisk out. After mixing well, I thought it was still a little too warm to frost the cupcakes, so I put it in the freezer for no more than 5 minutes and this cooled it off quite quick. The frosting will crust over a little and need to be stired before frosting.

Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with a little coarse kosher salt. The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp total for all 24 cupcakes. I may have used a little more, I didn't measure, but the amount I used tasted perfect!

Some of these had more butterscotch chips than other...that was my fault, I should have stirred the batter at least once when filling the liners. But then again, the cupcakes with more butterscotch chips, are like a cupcake with an extra present inside!

Either way, they were YUMMY! My son described them as not too sweet, just perfect! My daughter said "These are darn good!" They are YUM!

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These Cupcakes are shared at:

Sweetology: Tea Party Tuesday
The Kurtz Corner: Tuesday Tutorials
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
Talking Dollars and Cents: Muffin (and Cupcake) Mondays
Bizzy Bakes: Bake with Bizzy
Home Savvy: Savvy HomeMade Monday
Tatertots and Jello: Weekend Wrap Up
Rook No. 17: A Little Birdie Told Me
Hoosier Homemade: Cupcake Tuesday
Lady Behind the Curtain: Cast Party Wednesday
This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked
Pinch of This, That & the Other: Whisking Wednesdays
Daily Organized Chaos: Foodie Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Kissed By A Frog: Frog Blog Love Linky
Something Swanky: Sweet Treats Thursday
Around My Family Table: Turning the Table Thursday
Alli N Son- Sweet Tooth Friday
Tidy Mom- I'm Lovin It
Mangoes and Chutney- Fat Camp Friday
Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday
A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Coffee, Caramel & Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

I am pretty excited about this!
This is the first cupcake that is not from a recipe that I have created all by myself!

The test cupcake is in the oven now. It is rising...which should safely mean I didn't create a cookie!
These cupcakes contain coffee, peanuts, caramel, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, one on top and one inside...I really hope that the inside part turns out right!

Okay cupcakes are out of the oven and look like cupcakes...that's a plus! I hope they taste as good as they look...but that will have to wait until they are decorated first!
The icing is a buttercream icing base with lots of caramel and strongly brewed coffee added to it. Unfortunately, I am not sure how much caramel and coffee I used, since I just kept adding until the texture was how I wanted. I ended up putting the caramel into a piping bag with the smallest tip I could find to try and keep some of the mess contained.

I knocked the icing out of the park! It is super yummy! I hope that I can replicate it someday!
The cupcake tasted awesome too! I have had many homemade recipe cupcakes with this texture, but I would still like to improve on it a tiny bit!
The recipe has been changed slightly and I will probably still change it some more but here is one of the versions:
1-1/2 cups of AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup espresso coffee
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
1 stick butter
1/2 cup applesauce

In the end, for my very first cupcake that I didn't make from a box, book recipe, or anyone else's recipe...I was very pleased with the outcome!


Lesson learned: Don't be afraid to experiment!