Nutty Peanut Buttery Caramel Apples

My fellow holiday food bloggers and I are cooking up Halloween treats today.  Mine aren't spooky but they're totally holiday ready!

Every year, if I happen to find myself in a department store or confectionery shop before the holidays, I come upon a stunning display of caramel apples.  Properly coated, festooned with nuts and candy, drizzled with chocolate, they are picture perfect.  I want one.  I tell myself I will buy myself a treat.  I pick one up and look at the price tag.  I put it back down.  I go to the farmer's market and buy some apples.

I'll admit my homemade version isn't quite as picture perfect but it's just as tasty and a whole lot more wallet friendly. A whole lot fresher, too, actually.  And since I'm making my own version I can customize to my own taste.

The loaded ones in the store have maybe a few too many flavors going on.  I want to taste the apple, after all, and they do go so well with peanut butter.  And actually, not only did I make a peanut butter caramel, but afterwards it transforms to a chocolate and peanut butter caramel for the final drizzle.  I haven't seen that in the store and they don't know what they're missing.  Enjoy!


Ingredients
4 Large tart apples
4 skewers to insert into the apples
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1/4 Cup smooth peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator)
1 Cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 Cup chocolate chips
Add'l 1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of sea salt

Make the sauce by melting the sugar in a pot over a low to medium flame.  Do not stir.  When the sugar has completely dissolved, remove it from the heat and add the half cup of heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up.  Return to a low flame and stir until all lumps are gone. Stir in the butter, peanut butter and salt to taste.

Place the chopped peanuts in a shallow bowl. Insert a skewer into each apple and dip into the caramel sauce. Then roll each apple in the chopped peanuts.  Set on a piece of wax or parchment paper to set.

You will have some caramel sauce left in the pot (which we're going to use so put that spoon down!)  Add the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the sauce and stir over low heat just until the chocolate has melted.  Spoon it over the apples and allow to cool before slicing.

The Aftermath
You will have some chocolate peanut butter caramel left in the pot.  And you'll also have a dish with remaining chopped peanuts that are gooey with peanut butter caramel sauce.  These are the cook's treats. Either sprinkle everything over ice cream or use a 1 oz. scoop to form the peanuts into a ball and pour the chocolate sauce over it.  Allow to cool and you've got cook's treat candy.  Don't tell anybody!

Check out the other treats from my fellow food bloggers:

Mini Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecakes from Chocolate Moosey

Liquid Ghost Halloween Cocktail from Pineapple and Coconut

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Popcorn from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

Nutty Peanut Buttery Caramel Apples from Hungry Couple

Creepy Crawly Coffee Cake from gotta get baked

Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies

Baked Chocolate Donuts with Pumpkin Bourbon Glaze from Crumb

Count Chocula Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treats from Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Devil’s Wing Sauce from Magnolia Days

Spider Web Cookie Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake