Today was a good day. In my religion (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), there is a bi-annual worldwide conference broad cast. In April and October, everyone in my church watches talks and messages from the church leaders. There are two 2-hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday and instead of going to church on those two special days, we watch the prophet speak to members across the world. Because of modern technology, we get to watch live on our computer over the internet. I always look forward to this time each year, as does my husband. When he was little, his parents made this conference a special occasion. In the two hour break between sessions, his family would always make homemade salsa. And during the broadcast, as they were all gathered around the TV to watch, his dad would give foot massages to everyone. I also have pleasant memories of everyone in my family snuggling up in blankets on the couch while we watched. My dad would sit in the recliner and would almost always fall asleep at some point and start to snore, causing my brother and I to giggle. 
Because it was such a special time for my husband and I growing up, filled with tradition and family quality time, we decided we want our own kids to think of conference time as a special time, too. We want them to look forward to it and be excited to listen to the church leaders and gathering together as a family. We don’t have any children yet, but we were wanting to test out some fun little family traditions. For some reason, we each had an idea in our minds of one that we wanted to try out. Benj thought it would be fun to have chili every fall during conference and I was thinking it would be fun to make caramel apples during fall conference. You see, my husband like beans a little too much. He always wants to eat beans or something containing beans. It’s a mystery to me. I don’t understand how someone’s favorite food could be beans. But at the same time, my husband doesn’t quite understand my obsession with gummy bears and gummy worms. To each his own, right?So, in between conference sessions, we made chili together. We decided that it would not be a good conference tradition because my husband offers to make it on a weekly basis and we eat it way to much for it to be a special occasion. It was still yummy, though. After we made chili we made caramel apples. Its festive, its easy, it delicious, and its not something you do every day. We opened caramel wrappers while we listened to the speakers. We dipped them in caramel, then white chocolate, and sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar. They were absolutely delicious! I think its something our future children will look forward to.
Ingredients:
- 4 apples (granny smith are the tradition caramel apple variety, but I I used a sweeter kind because I don’t like the tartness of the granny smith. Its Up 2 U.)
- 1 bag of caramels
- popsicle sticks (most bags of caramel come with a couple)
- 1 block of white chocolate or 1 bag of white chocolate chips
- 1/2 C. sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- parchment paper or baking mat
- baking spray
Directions:
1. Wash the apples and pull out the stems
2. Poke the popsicle sticks into the apples where the stem should be. I didn’t have any popsicle sticks, so I used lollipop sticks that I had on hand. I don’t recommend doing what I did. They were way too flimsy.
3. Unwrap caramels. You might want someone to help you with this task. Place one caramel in your mouth. Place the rest in a small pot. Put about 1 TBSP of water in with the caramels.
4. Melt caramels on medium-low heat until they are completely melted. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat. Dip apples into the caramel and roll around until they are completely coated. Turn so the stick is facing down and let the caramel drip over the pot. Rotate the apple so it drips off evenly. Don’t let it burn you. Caramel can get very hot. (I actually dipped mine twice because I wanted lots of caramel!)
5. Place on the parchment paper that has been sprayed with baking spray or a silicone baking mat, sticks facing up. Repeat to all apples and move them to the freezer. Wait until the caramel hardens.
6. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler on low heat or just place a small bowl containing the chocolate over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely. Remove apples from freezer and dip in the white chocolate in the same way you dipped them in caramel. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the white chocolate before it hardens. Let cool.
7. Eat.
Now I know that traditions can actually cause more harm than good if they are only done for the sake of “tradition” and nothing else. And things don’t always happen the way you dream. I don’t think tradition should be forced either. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. But I am a sentimental person. I think my husband and I just want a family so badly that we can’t help dreaming up fun things to do with our kids someday. Do you have any family traditions that bring you closer to each other? Comment below!
Other Apple Recipe You Might Enjoy:
I love how you always show the finished 'finished' product… I mean, after Benjy gets a hold of it. Somehow, seeing that core on the stick makes my mouth water. Weird, huh?
Thanks for posting this Amy. These are my all time favorite treat and have always wanted to make them, but I was always a bit intimidated. Thank your for your directions and pictures. I am excited to make these!