This was definitely the hit of my party. I sliced all but 3 small apples of a 3 lb. bag and every apple was gone the the bowl licked clean. I was worried it was going to be too sweet but went ahead and added all the sugar anyway. It was perfect! I wanted to have all the food prep work done hours before the party so to keep the sliced apples from browning I put them in a bowl of about 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup lemon juice and kept them in the fridge. Right before I was ready to serve them I drained them and served them on a large platter with the dip in the middle. The last apple was as white as when I first served it.
Scrumptious! I love caramel apples but they can be a little hard to eat (not something you would serve at a party). SOLUTION: the flavor of this recipe is very close to caramel apples but it is easy to make and easy to serve to a group. Suggestions: 1. add extra caramels for added caramel flavor. 2. be sure to melt the caramels completely to avoid clumps. 3. submerge apple slices in orange or lemon juice to prevent browning. 4. I prefer to use tart apples like Granny Smith to balance out the sweetness and enhance the caramel flavor. 5. The dip refrigerates well. Enjoy! A perfect Autumn treat.
I've tried the caramel dip with cream cheese/brown sugar/vanilla. Adults love it. Even my 4-year-old son loves this one. The addition of actual caramel makes this a dip nobody can resist. Brought it to a party last night. People were trying it with EVERYTHING. Grapes Brie apples bananas... Thick sticky sumptuous. I didn't put in quite as much water and added vanilla. Refrigerates well. Thickens a bit but still very spreadable and dippable. This will be a tradition for our family through the holidays. Teri
This stuff is AWESOME! And super easy too! I will use it for all my get togethers now. Oh one thing about the recipe though it says to serve immediately so I waited until the last minute to make it. I now know though that it keeps in the fridge for a day or two just fine with no change in flavor or consistancy.
Fabulous! I used fat free cream cheese just to cut down a little on fat/calories and I don't think it affected the taste at all. Took it to a youth group New Year's party and when it was gone I actually caught some of them scraping their fingers around the inside of the bowl to get the scraps!
This was excellent!! I took it to a party and nobody could stop eating it. People were scooping so much dip that it covered the apple slices! After I made it I put it in the fridge and served it straight from the fridge. It was still soft and easy to dip into. I added extra caramels but I don't think that it altered the recipe too much. You will not be disappointed by this recipe but don't make it is you're trying to cut back on calories!:)
Excellent combination of flavors.Just the thing for dipping apples graham crackers bananas! We had some homemade granola bars to dip yummy. Thanks Lori.
Super easy to make and keeps well too. Head and shoulders above the commercial stuff. People always rave about this dip and it's perfect for the fresh autumn apples. I add a little vanilla as was recommended by a previous reviewer.
I made this for a reunion and it was a big hit. I too used the entire bag of caramels because I am not a big fan of the taste of cream cheese. I followed the recs of prior reviewers and used full fat cream cheese. I served w/granny smith apple slices Nilla wafers and chocolate. I used lemon juice to keep the apples from browning. This dip is good at any temp warm room and cold. I will make this again.
I guess I'm in the minority here because I didn't care for this at all. Not only did I find this to be mediocre when eaten immediately (warm) as suggested I thought this tasted WORSE after sitting in the fridge overnight. My dip is now barely spreadable.:( When I scoop it I end up with globs that barely coat my apple slices. I also found the caramel flavor to be nonexistent. As is this dip has a STRONG cream cheese taste with just a slight hint of caramel flavor (more like an afterthought IMHO). I DEFINITELY suggest adding MORE caramel candies than called for. Maybe this will float your boat but it sure didn't do anything for me. Thanks anyways Lori.:-)