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Crock Pot Caramel Apples {+ Caramel Apple Bar!}

11/07/2013 By Charlene 6 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.

 

Crock Pot Caramel Apple Bar


Have you made caramel apples yet this year?  It is such a great way to celebrate fall and so much fun for the little ones.

I wanted to make caramel apples with my girls this year but one thing I don’t like is how big and messy the apples can be.  Often it is just too much for their little tummies and so messy to cut up.  I can never decide on just one apple either.  Sometimes I want nuts, sometimes M&Ms sometimes something salty- like pretzels– and chocolate chips- decisions… decisions…

Plus my 6 year old is essentially toothless in the front so biting into a big old caramel apple is just not going to happen for her this year. 🙂

So last weekend we hosted a little gang of Girl Scouts at our house to pack up some Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.  I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to do a caramel apple bar.

I thought it would be so much easier to slice up the apples and offer a bunch of topping choices and then let the girls make little cups of bite size caramel apples.

I have to say these were so delicious- they turned out so much better then I hoped!  I think this might become a new holiday tradition for our family.  Why not invite some friends or family over and make a caramel apple bar part of the party!

I think these could totally work for class parties and fundraisers or end of season soccer parties… A perfect way to celebrate fall and make something so special and fun for the kiddos.  You aren’t going to believe how easy this is to do.

Crock Pot Caramel Apple Bar

So the process is so incredibly simple- first get your caramel cookin’:

  • Add 1 bag of Caramels to your crock pot (I made the kids peel off all the labels)
  • Add 2 tablespoons water on top of the caramels
  • Set the Crock Pot for 2 hours on low or if you are in a hurry you can do 1 hour on high.

You want to keep an eye on it and stir about every 20-25 minutes.  The caramel will clump up in a big gooey mess so make sure you stir often to keep it creamy and smooth.  This makes that super sticky caramel and it is just incredibly good.  (You will for sure want to eat this straight off the spoon so make sure the kids aren’t looking.)

Crock Pot Caramel Apple Bar

Next select a bunch of toppings and get those ready.

I choose:

  • Butterfingers (and crushed them in the food processor)
  • Chocolate Wafer Cookies (and also crushed them in the food processor)
  • M&Ms
  • White Chocolate Chips
  • Pretzels (semi crushed in the food processor)
  • Marshmallows
  • Reese’s
  • Peanuts
  • Graham Crackers
  • Gummy Worms
  • Heath Bars
  • Milk Chocolate Chips

*We had one girl with a peanut allergy so be careful of that for little ones.   

Crock Pot Caramel Apple Bar

Last slice up your apples.  You want to do this just before serving- I cut them about 1 hour before the party.  You can squeeze lemon juice on top of the apples, squirt pineapple juice on the top or a soda like Sprite or 7-up to keep them from browning.   I like to buy organic apples so I never find that yucky waxy coating you sometimes see.

Another idea would be to purchase the packaged pre-cut apples and open the bag just before serving.

I placed the sliced apples in a small plastic cup and used a spoon to drizzle generously with caramel.  You can either buy candy sticks to skewer the apples or just small forks work perfectly as well.  Next allow each person to go through the topping bar and mix it up!

Now I loved this smaller approach to caramel apples because I had (cough) two cups and it was fun to try one version and then go back through and get another set of toppings entirely.

I pulled the bowl of the Crock Pot out and just put that right on the table and our caramel stayed warm and gooey for a few hours.  This is important because if the caramel cools it will get super hard.  (You can always warm it up again in the crock or the microwave if that happens.)  If you do not want to fuss with the crock pot- I have you covered!

Crock Pot Caramel Sauce (Just one ingredient and so easy to make!) This is amazing on french bread, sliced apples, drizzled on ice cream or eat it straight from the jar!

 

Here is a super simple Crock Pot caramel sauce.  This one is a much creamier caramel and it won’t harden nearly as quickly so you can actually make this ahead of time and just scoop a bit into the cups.  You don’t need to keep this warm- although if it is convenient I like to pop the jar in the micro for a few seconds before serving.

Oh and one really fun combination for the kiddos is a “Dirt” caramel apple.  Oreos are the best choice because of the color but I used Horizon Organic Chocolate Wafer cookies- just grind the cookies up to great a texture like sand.  Then add a few gummy worms so it lots like an apple covered in dirt with worms- fun and silly.

Caramel Apple Worm Cups

If you decide to give this a shot, come back and let me know how it goes!

Oh and to serve- I just bought (2) cupcake baking pans at the Dollar Tree and then these cute little clear plastic bowls are from the Dollar Tree (12 to a package).  The lollipop sticks were very inexpensive at the craft store.

And here is one other recipe you might enjoy:

starbucks apple cider recipe

Copycat Caramel Apple Cider

 

Filed Under: Desserts, Holiday Foods Tagged With: crock pot caramel apples

« Target: Twix Candy Bars $.21 and Clearance Deals
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Comments

  1. Yari says

    11/07/2013 at 12:36 PM

    Thank you, I love this!

  2. Cara says

    11/07/2013 at 3:26 PM

    FYI, Butterfingers are made with peanut butter too – just so you know for next time!:)

  3. Charlene says

    11/07/2013 at 3:47 PM

    Cara- yeah I think they knew that but good point. I’ll add that in.

Trackbacks

  1. The Kids Table | Colors Are Magic says:
    11/02/2015 at 4:51 PM

    […] I know I would not be complaining if there were a Caramel Apple Bar in the center of my Thanksgiving table… and I am betting that your kids wouldn’t be either. To find the recipe for this yummy Crock-Pot caramel sauce go and check out My Frugal Adventures. […]

  2. Caramel Apple Pops {Cooking With Kids} | Cooking With Libby says:
    11/02/2015 at 6:26 PM

    […] (makes 10 apple pops) Ingredients: One big apple (we used red delicious) 14 caramel candy pieces 3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream 1 cup of each topping (crushed pecans, crushed graham crackers, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc…) A couple of tablespoons of lemon juice 10 lollipop sticks Directions: 1. Slice the apple into medium sized wedges and sprinkle the lemon juice onto each piece to prevent browning. 2. In a microwave safe bowl, place the 14 pieces of caramel candy and the 3 tbsp. of heavy whipping cream inside. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat in 30 second intervals until the caramel fully melts and looks thick and smooth. 3. Place a lollipop stick into each apple piece and drizzle the caramel on top. 4. Garnish with toppings of your choice. Recipe Source: Adapted from the blog, My Frugal Adventures […]

  3. HOW-TO: Set Up a Caramel Apple Bar for Your Fall Wedding! - Unique Wedding Ideas from the Wedding Bistro at Bellenza says:
    11/14/2017 at 11:16 AM

    […] course, a caramel apple bar must have caramel! You can make your own with this recipe from My Frugal Adventures. Then, offer up other dips like chocolate sauce or others made with […]

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I'm Charlene- thank you for stopping by MY FRUGAL ADVENTURES! I am a Mom to two little girls living in gorgeous Northern California. This is a fun place to find simple & affordable inspiration for everything from gifts to home improvement to travel to children's crafts to what's for dinner tonight! READ MORE >>>

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