Every Day Is Special: October 31 – National Caramel Apple Day

Posted October 31, 2017

I kind of hate to talk about anything other than Halloween on October 31, but as you see below (in the "Also on this date" section), we have Halloween, Halloween, and more Halloween. Samhain is one of the precursors to Halloween, and knocking on doors, begging for treats, and magic are all associated with Halloween. So almost every year, I manage to talk about Halloween. This year is no exception!

All sort of treats are associated with Halloween. Here are a few:

Candy of all sorts, especially miniature versions of popular candies.

Candy corn, in particular.

Spiced apple cider.

Popcorn balls.

And caramel apples!

Now you see why today is National Caramel Apple Day!

To make a caramel apple, buy a bag of caramels - making sure that sticks are included in the package. Slowly heat the caramels over low heat, stirring frequently. Impale a crisp, tart apple with a stick and then dip it into the melted caramel, moving it around to get an even coat.

Put the dipped apple onto a tray covered with waxed paper. Cool it - possibly in the refrigerator.

It's easier to eat a caramel apple when it is cool or even cold, because then the caramel isn't quite as soft and sticky.

Of course, you can vary this simple recipe a lot of different ways.

One popular variation is to dip the caramel coated apple into chopped peanuts (before allowing the caramel to cool).

Other sorts of nuts, small candies, or other toppings can be used.

Another popular thing to do is to "paint" designs onto caramel apples with melted white chocolate colored with food coloring - or with just melted dark chocolate.