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Caramel Apples: A Not-So-Scary Halloween Treat

An apple a day keeps the goblins away, or so the saying sort of goes! To redeem candy-jammed Halloween festivities, try adding apples to your caramel treats this year. The crisp flavor of a green apple coupled with the sweet gooeyness of the caramel – well, there’s not much better. And to top it off, you have managed to fit some nutrition into your ghoulish fare.

Apple Nutrition Facts

  • Apples are a good source of pectin, a type of fiber. Research indicates that pectin limits cholesterol the body absorbs and may be an important link in preventing heart disease.
  • Apples are a rich source of phytochemicals, plant based compounds that have shown to slow down or play a role in preventing cancer. Many of the cancer fighting compounds have been identified in apple peels. These compounds have been found to stop the replication of a variety of types of cancer cells including colon, breast and liver tumors. The bottom line – eat the apple with the peel.
  • One study showed that women who ate an apple a day had a twenty-one percent lower risk of developing lung cancer. Researchers focus on the flavonoid quercetin in apples as the primary cause for the reduction in lung cancer.
  • Harvard researchers say men who stopped eating apples were more likely to lose their teeth!
  • Apples are rich in an antioxidant called apigenin, that is thought to suppress responses leading to asthma and allergies.

Caramel Apples

  • 6 small green apples
  • Popsicle or craft sticks
  • 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons water

Directions

Remove the stem from each apple and press a popsicle stick into the top. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place caramels in a sauté pan on warm heat, add vanilla and water. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on the baking sheet to set, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Tip: For easy cleanup, warm caramel in a crock pot using a crock pot liner.

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