Recipe: Sweet Laurel's Mini Caramel Apples

There was a time when we thought we'd never have another caramel anything, let alone a caramel apple. Thanks to our friends at Sweet Laurel, we're enjoying the caramel apples from our childhood once more!

I was a caramel apple fiend as a kid, and honestly, that never really left me. When we'd go to visit my husband's family in Florida, we'd always stop at the local old-fashioned candy shop to watch them loving dip apples into their handcrafted caramel. I never left without at least one caramel apple, even after I knew I really shouldn't be having them. There was something distinctly irresistible about them. Maybe it was the nostalgia, or the idea that I'd lost something I treasured so much... but it was a hard piece of my childhood to give up.  So, when we saw this recipe from Sweet Laurel for Mini Caramel Apples, we were beyond thrilled. This recipe for paleo and AIP friendly caramel apples is made with only 4 very pantry-friendly ingredients, and requires less than 10 mins of active cook time. It's the recipe of our caramel apple loving dreams!

We love the mini bites in the recipe for entertaining, but prefer to make wedges or full sized apples for ourselves. Additionally, we've had great luck using coconut oil instead of ghee and have enjoyed honey instead of maple syrup for a different taste. We've also found that some vanilla powder and a sprinkling of flakey sea salt make welcome additions.

These are also delightful drizzled in chocolate, covered in coconut, or rolled in nuts.

Pro tip: If using store-bought apples in whole or cut pieces rather than the melon balled pieces the recipe calls for, be sure to soak you apples in very warm / hot water to remove the waxy covering commonly found on both organic and non-organic apples.