It Only Takes One Bad Apple...

I had some caramels left from the holidays that have been sitting there staring at me so I decided to answer a request from my son. He has been asking me to make caramel apples for about 2 or 3 months now. I've been putting it off because I have never made caramel apples and I wasn't sure about doing it.

I probably should have stuck with that thinking.

But no, not me.

There are some of my friends who believe that I am a good cook who never messes up. They are very, very wrong. I am a decent cook who can read recipes and who has a family (a husband at least) who will eat even the stuff that is less than fabulous. So there, the secret's out.

I learned a few things about caramel apples:

*Even when packages of caramels feel it necessary to include sticks for making apples, they may not necessarily include INSTRUCTIONS for making caramel apples.
*Do not assume that you can just make whatever number apples is equal to the caramel you have. Apples do not come in halves.
*Caramel is sticky even when its hardened.
*If you find yourself running out of caramel, you will resort to icing an apple (kind of like a cake) and find out that doesn't work very well.
*Rolling a caramel apple in chopped nuts is not as easy as it sounds.
*Caramel is sticky even when its hardened.
*Trying to cover up bald spots on your apple with nuts won't work.
Oh, and
*Caramel is sticky even when its hardened.

I did manage to make four apples. That was the number I set out for. This is the best looking of the Granny Smith ones.
Of the two Red Delicious' I made, this is the best looking. And I know that isn't saying much.

The other red apple's "dress"was too long (the caramel slid a bit and pooled around it's bottom).

All things considered, I don't think I did too badly with no instructions, no supervision, and for my first time making them.

Despite the way they look, they were still real good.

Even the half bald, partially iced one.

Which I generously consumed.