Caramel Apples for Breakfast

"So where's MY carmel apple???" you ask. Well, follow these easy steps, and your carmel apple will MAGICALLY appear right in your very own kitchen!

1 -- Make the Wally trip.

List:

bag-o-apples (I prefer Granny Smith)

carmels

sprinkles

chopped pecans

mini chocolate chips

toffee bits

sticks (check the craft section)

2 -- Wash the apples.

3 -- Dry the apples.

4 -- Loving tear out the stem. (Oh, so lovingly.)

5 -- Stab the washed apples with the sticks. (I also slice up some apples into quarters for sampling during the process. I am a firm believer in testing the product during production, to ensure quality.)

6 -- Unwrap the carmels. Put in saucepan with a smidgey smidgey bit of water. (Smidgey smidgey bit = about 2 tablespoons. But I don't believe in precise measurements, ever. It stifles creativity.) Warm up over very low temperature. Stir very frequently. (I would say constantly, but I never have the patience the stir something constantly, so I don't expect you to, either.) If you cook it on too high of a temperature, it will burn. I know, I tested it for you. (Hint: If it does start to burn, STOP stirring. Immediately pour the warm carmel into another saucepan. The burnt carmel on the bottom will not transfer, and you can still salvage the rest of the carmel. If there are bits of burnt that do make it into the new bowl, you can pick them off the dipped apples with a popcycle stick. It is good when things don't work out exactly how they are suppose to, because then you figure out cool tricks like the pan-to-pan-transfer technique.)

7 -- Pour the toppings into bowls. (I also tried out butterscotch chips and white chocolate chips. Be creative!) [And a head's up, when applying toppings make sure to have a good amount of topping in the bowl. If the topping gets too shallow, the carmel will start to stick on the bottom of the bowl.]

7 -- There are various methods to apply the carmel. The first time I made these, I just dipped and dipped and dipped and dipped, until the apple was all covered with carmel. Then I figured out that the carmel doesn't slide off the apple as much when the carmel is thicker (cooler, and using less water), and since this isn't conducive to dipping, I started spreading the carmel on with a spoon. I like this way best. And I only have two hands (unlike those lucky moms that have three), so imagine a hand holding the spoon handle and spreading it around and around till the apple is all covered just right.

8 -- TOP TOP TOP AWAY. Apply your favorite toppings. Have fun! Remember, variety is the spice of life.

My all time favorite is what I refer to as the "classic": layer toppings in this order -- mini chocolate chips, toffee bits, pecan pieces, sprinkles. What a pleaser!

9 -- I like to put the finished carmel apples onto styrofoam plates, in groups of three or four. This makes for easy sharing. (You can also put them all on a cookie sheet. Some people might like to spread out wax paper first. I don't mind a little mess. Cleans up easy with warm water.)

10 -- For sharing, this is how to spuce goose the final package. Criss-cross long sheets of plastic wrap. (NOTE: if you like to share treats, I suggest investing in Costco's mongo plastic wrap box. I has a nice sliding cutter, that I love. Perfect cut everytime! No more plastic shreds!)

11 -- Pull up plastic wrap.

12 -- Pinch (pronounced "peench", just ask my dad) the edges of plastic wrap together to prevent gaposis (yes, gaposis -- just ask my mom).

13 -- Gather the plastic wrap together at the top and tie with a ribbon. To beautify inexpensive ribbon, curly-cue it with the edge of scissors. (I love to curly-cue ribbon, doesn't everybody?!)

14 -- Trim the uneven edge of plastic wrap.

15 -- Wha La! You have an aesthetically pleasing styrofoam plate of carmel apples to share with family, friends, or the ornery old man next door. Remember, making treats if fun. Eating treats is funner. Sharing treats is funnest!