Decadent Gourmet Salted Caramel Candy Apples

The spirit of Halloween decor has overtaken me; I invited my neighbors to a Halloween Celebration Pumpkin Painting Party at the pool. (Rain came and moved it indoors.) I furnished the pumpkins and paint and made some great snacks. Each guest was challenged to use the candy bars in a creative way to decorate their pumpkins!

I love Halloween Celebrations. I racked my brain for ways to have a unique, fun Halloween-themed party for several of my neighbors. You know I love to get everyone together for craft afternoons. So I decided that a fun time would be to paint some cute pumpkins for our Halloween decor. And, of course, I will be creating spooky good Halloween recipes featuring Mars Mixed Miniatures candy bars and M&M’s, plus some colorful Halloween Punch. The invitations say it all…

Here is a quick video of the entire experience. It looks amazing in full screen mode!!

Pumpkin Painting

I gathered paint pens, glue, embellishments, candy bars and some cute and scary face patterns. I set them all on a table and the washed pumpkins on their chairs. I challenged each artist to include some of the wrapped candy bars in their pumpkin design. As you can see from the photos, I went all out with the decor for the party. Remember, I call it POSH!!! So I chose a black and white damask theme with orange pumpkin accents. The beautiful fabric used throughout is vinyl.

The guests had so much fun painting and decorating their pumpkins. We laughed so hard as each of the characters came to life. Some were scary, some were cute, and some….well they were creative. HIMself joined in and painted two original designs. I will let the photos do the talking here. I loved all the creative ideas for use of the candy. One cut the top off her pumpkin and put a dish of mini candy bars inside. This is a great crafting party to have with your kids. I can just imagine all the ideas that they would come up with!!!

Decadent Gourmet Salted Caramel Candy Apples

Oh, and I can’t forget the food. These delicious giant apples are a great Halloween dessert and so much fun to create. Making them with my favorite candy bars is a yummy twist to add to your Halloween recipes. You can find bags easily in the Fall. I offer three options here. Some are coated with caramel and some are coated with chocolate before applying the candies.

Ingredients

24-Snickers minis (chopped)
24- 3 Musketeers minis (chopped)
24-Milky Way minis (chopped)
24-Twixt minis (chopped)
3 large apples (washed and dried)
My Caramel coating (see recipe below)
bamboo lollypop sticks

Directions

1. Wash apples. Insert a lollypop stick into stem end of each apple. If they have a waxy coating, dip them into boiling water for 5 seconds to remove the wax. Dry completely.
   
2. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. 
3. Chop and crush the candies. This is a fun task for your spouse or kids.
   
4. Place each chopped candy in a small bowl. Set in fridge to cool.
5. Make My Sinful Salted Caramel Coating recipe below.
6. Hold an apple by its stick over the saucepan and spoon caramel or chocolate over apple to coat. Allow excess to drip back into saucepan. If caramel or chocolate gets stiff, stir in a tablespoon of water and reheat for a minute or two. 
7. Place the cut candy on one layer across a wax paper lined baking sheet. Make sure the pieces are broken apart.
8. Roll and press candy into caramel on apple and place apple, stick side up, on a piece of parchment paper. I cup my hands around the apple and press. It’s sticky but it works. Refrigerate.
9. Repeat with remaining apples and candy.
10. Let apples stand in fridge  until serving time. 
11. Slice in wedges and serve.

My Sinful Salted Caramel Coating

I make caramels three or four times a year. My homemade caramels are a must with my family each Christmas along with my fudge. Caramels are really easy to make, if you have a good candy thermometer. TIP: A heavy-duty and reliable candy thermometer is crucial for caramel success. You will have some caramel left after coating the apples. Pour the remaining caramel onto a buttered plate and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Let sit at room temperature until it’s set. Cut it into 1-inch pieces.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp sea salt, I use fleur de sel

Directions

Eerie Punch

This is a delicious drink to add to your Halloween recipes. It is really easy to do and looks so cute served in Mason jars. For a Halloween touch I bought some neon green glow sticks and put them in the drinks for added pizazz.

Ingredients

1 Gallon Fruit Juicy Red Hawaiian Punch
2 Liters 7UP
1 Cup of coconut gelato
1 Cup of pineapple gelato
1 package frozen berries
Glow sticks (washed and dried)

Directions

1. Let gelato sit out of the freezer for 15 minutes to soften.
2. Mix the Fruit Juicy Red Hawaiian Punch and 7 UP in a large bowl.
3. Add gelato and stir or mix with immersion blender until well blended.
4. Pour into Mason jars leaving about 2″ from top rim unfilled. Refrigerate until serving time.
5. Add 1/2 Cup frozen berries to jars and shake.
6. Activate a glow stick and drop it in the jar.
7. Serve with colorful straws.