Best friends forever

Caramel + apple = happiness. It’s a timeless combination that never gets old. We dip it, plop it, coat it and mix it, and no matter how we do it, caramel and apples will always hold a sweet spot in our hearts.

I was thinking about all things caramel apple today, and the first thing that popped into my mind was caramel apple pops. Remember those suckers that have a tart apple center with sticky caramel wrapped around the outside? As a child of the ’90s, I’ve certainly had my share of this candy, which first hit the Holyoke Elementary School scene when they came out in 1995.

The original caramel apple was invented in the 1950s by Dan Walker, a sales representative for Kraft Foods. Nowadays, caramel apples aren’t just for little trick-or-treaters any more but are found in gourmet food stores and rolled in just about anything you can imagine.

These are only a couple of examples of the way we’ve incorporated this sticky combination into our foods. From pies and cheesecakes to drinks and muffins, caramel and apples are everywhere!

The Snickers Caramel Apple Salad (found at chef-in-training.com) is a fun take on the sweet treat, and, you’ll be happy to know, it’s just about one of the easiest things you will ever make! All you have to do is chop, chop, chop some apples and Snickers candy bars and throw them in a Cool Whip/vanilla pudding/milk base. Drizzle some caramel and that’s it! You’re done! And it’s pretty delicious, too!

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

6 regular size Snickers candy bars
6 apples
1 (5 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding dry, do not prepare
1/2 cup milk
1 (12 ounce) tub Cool Whip
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

Whisk vanilla pudding packet, 1/2 cup milk and Cool Whip together until well combined. Chop up apples and Snickers. Stir chopped apples and Snickers into pudding mixture. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with caramel ice cream topping. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Holyoke Enterprise March 14, 2013