Caramel apples in the store always look appetizing, but normally the apple underneath is mushy or a variety that I am not a fan of like Granny Smith. I’ve made caramel apples with my mom before and they kind or turned out to be a big mess and hassle. The Tooth Fairy in this house is busy enough so I also avoid having caramel apples in the house to help keep those baby teeth in place until they are really ready to come out. So I prefer having caramel dip on hand and just warming it up and serving with some delicious sliced apples, grapes, pretzel sticks. Really anything you can think of. It’s also a special topping for ice cream too. I’ve made a couple different kinds of caramel, some with heavy cream, some with corn syrup. They are all good, but this version you are about to learn about is by far the easiest and least messy. Can’t go wrong there, right?
I saw this method somewhere on Pinterest so I cannot take the credit for the idea. Some of you may have even seen this caramel method posted before, but wondered if it was actually good or worth it to try. I’m telling you – it is great and worth a shot in my book. My kids love it, it’s cheap to make since there’s only 1 ingredient and requires hardly any effort at all. Here it is . . .
So Simple Caramel Dip
Directions:
All you need is sweetened condensed milk in the can and a slow cooker of some sort.
You put the unopened can of sweetened condensed milk into the slow cooker, cover with water, making sure the can in submerged. You can weigh the can down if needed. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
After 8-10 hours, remove the can, open it up and see the wonderful caramel you made. It’s ready to enjoy right away, or you can simply transfer it to a container and refrigerate until needed. Caramel will thin out a bit as you warm it up for serving.
I keep it in the refrigerator and just scoop out servings into bowls or ramekins, microwave for about 15 seconds and serve with apple slices (honey crisp, of course), grapes, or anything you like.
I’ve read that if the can(s) are not completely submerged in the water, they can explode so make sure you have them covered with water in your slow cooker. Also, sometimes, the can will rust a little from being in the water that long. It is only on the outside of the can and does not affect the caramel at all. It easily washes right out of the slow cooker as well.
Last night, I put the 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk into the slow cooker around 10:30 pm, covered with water, put two little bowls of water on top of the cans to help keep them weighed down, put the lid on slow cooker and turned it on low. This morning around 7:00, I turned the slow cooker off, but just left the cans in the water and the lid on the slow cooker. Took the kids to school, and went to the gym with my youngest for preschool and workout time and arrived back home around noon. Water was still warm in the slow cooker. I removed the cans and rinsed them off, dumped the water and rinsed slow cooker out, and opened the cans to see the gooey caramel waiting for me. Scooped the caramel into plastic container and stuck it in the fridge and threw away the sticky sweetened condensed milk cans. Easy cleanup! My two oldest girls will be so excited for this special fall treat after school today!!
It’s not the healthiest snack I’m sure, but my diet and exercise motto is Life is about moderation, not deprivation!
Enjoy!
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