Caramel Apple Bar Ideas
Get ready for some fall-inspired fun with a caramel apple bar. I love that the apples are already in bite-sized wedges. Nothing quite like trying to bite into a big caramel apple and either ending up with a face full of caramel, which is totally avoided here! This caramel apple bar would be a great activity for kids on, say, a game day afternoon when the adults are focused on a football game, for anyone looking for a fall-themed birthday party idea, or even as a girls-night-in activity. May as well break out the wine or bubbly, in that case! Another bonus is that if you have odds and ends in your pantry like a few Oreos, a bit of cereal, a small amount of nuts, some random sprinkles or jimmies from a baking project, the sky is the limit with what kind of caramel apple toppings to use. Feel free to get creative and resourceful and clean out those cupboards and pantry in the process by using topping that you already have, but forgot about!
Caramel Apple Bar Ingredients
For this fun fall-favorite idea, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Apples Sprite Lollipop sticks Variety of toppings (more on that next) Old-fashioned caramel sauce White chocolate melts Milk chocolate melts
Caramel Apple Bar Toppings
Not sure which toppings for caramel apples to lay out? I recommend picking at least four of the following toppings:
Mini Reese’s Pieces Diced candy bars (such as Snickers, Milky Way, peanut butter cups) Gummy bears Crushed Oreos Heath Bar Bits Nuts (roasted and salted work best) Trail mix, Cereals Cinnamon and sugar Sprinkles or jimmies
Feel free to use whatever toppings you’d like for your caramel apple charcuterie board!
How to Make a Caramel Apple Bar
The possibilities are endless when creating this caramel apple board! Apples with caramel dip pair well with just about any sweet or salty toppings.
What Kind Of Apples Are Best for Caramel Apples?
You can use either green or red apples. I prefer firmer apples; Granny Smith, Jonagold, and Honeycrisp are some great varieties. However, you can use whatever type of apple you have on hand or are partial to.
What Kind of Caramel Sauce Is Best for Caramel Apples?
For this caramel apple board, I used store-bought old-fashioned caramel dip. You can use another store-bought variety of caramel dip or salted caramel sauce if you prefer. If you’re feeling adventurous, a batch of my homemade Salted Caramel Sauce works wonderfully. If you’re not into the salty-sweet vibe, just omit the salt. It’s similar to Trader Joe’s salted caramel sauce, which you can also use, but the homemade version is even better! You can also control the consistency by boiling it longer or shorter for thicker or thinner caramel sauce. Do not use caramel sundae sauce, which is thinner, runnier, best suited over the top of a scoop of ice cream, and will not adhere to the apples well.
Tips for Making a Caramel Apple Charcuterie Board
Soda vs. lemon juice: Many people think of lemon juice when it comes to keeping apples from turning brown but I find Sprite is just as easy and you don’t get the tartness and tang you would from lemon juice. Cream soda also works to prevent oxidation. It’s the citric acid in both Sprite or cream soda that helps prevent it. Presentation: I think it’s cuter to use different sized and shaped bowls, and of different colors, for the various toppings, caramel, and melted chocolate. Feel free to mix-and-match your bowls since you may not have perfectly coordinating bowls, but if you do — you break less dishes than (accidentally) I do!
Inserting the lollipop stick: When you’re trying to insert a lollipop stick into the apples, slightly thicker apple wedges work better than thin ones. Plus, they stand up better to the weight of the caramel, chocolate, and toppings. White chocolate: White chocolate is optional when making caramel apples, but if you’re going to use it, I recommend Ghirardelli white chocolate melts. They don’t harden too quickly and are much easier to work with than say white chocolate chips, which are not only much more difficult to melt, but it’s hard to keep the melted chocolate to stay soft. I also recommend the Ghirardelli milk chocolate melts for this reason, too. If you’re a dark chocolate fan, feel free to use it. Toppings for caramel apples: Mix and match the toppings as you see fit. The sky’s the limit!
Make ahead: Finally, it’s nice to have a few apples already dipped and made so that people, especially kids, can see what the finished result looks like.
More Easy Apple Desserts:
Caramel Apple Crumble Foil Packs – EASY, zero cleanup, made on the grill (or oven) in record time, and tastes amazing!! Juicy apples, chewy crumble topping, and luscious salted caramel…SO irresistible!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Baked Caramel Apple Fritters — Love the taste of apple fritters but don’t want the calories or hassle that comes with frying them? Then these FAST and EASY baked apple fritters made with just four main ingredients are PERFECT!!
5-Minute Microwave Apple Cinnamon Crumble For One (vegan, gluten-free) – Warm, hearty, fast, easy, and scrumptious!
Cinnamon Spice Applesauce Bread with Honey Butter – Applesauce keeps this bread so soft & moist! It’s like apple spice cake, disguised as ‘bread’ so you can have extra!
Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars — These bars are full of the flavors of fall! The soft yet dense apple cheesecake layer tops a crisp, brown sugar-graham cracker crust, while gooey, salted caramel drenches the top. Yum!!
