Enemy to Braces

What better way to start this page than with a recipe for caramel apples. Pretty much the antithesis to braces (sorry). Featured is my wife's caramel apple recipe.  She is seriously the best cook of all time. She can find a normal recipe online, but can turn it into something amazing and I can’t stop eating it. She recently made caramel apples for friends and the office, and it was like something out of a magazine. We had so many requests for the recipe, I'm posting it online. If you’d like to make caramel apples this fall, try out this recipe:

1/2 cup butter (cold works best)

1 cup light corn syrup

2 cups brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

10-12 apples

Combine the first three ingredients in a large saucepan (medium heat). Once the butter is completely melted add the sweetened condensed milk. Stir the mixture constantly until it reaches the soft ball stage (230 degrees- I always use a candy thermometer 🌡 just to be sure). Take pan off the heat and add in the vanilla. Let the caramel cool for a minute or so before dipping the apples. I mix until the bubbles aren’t going so crazy and then dip!

Once your apples have been dipped place them on a lightly buttered parchment paper in a pan (so they can be moved easily to the refrigerator). Time to decorate- drizzled chocolate and crushed up candy bars or sprinkles work well!

Refrigerate once they have been decorated to let them firm up! Then eat and enjoy!

-Ashley and Aaron Swapp