This recipe for homemade caramel apple dip uses just 4 ingredients, takes 15 minutes, and tastes WAY better than store-bought dips. Make a fall family apple tasting tradition with this dip and 3-4 different apple varieties – our family looks forward to this every year!
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When my daughter was in third grade (I can’t believe how long ago that was…), I was asked to bring apples and caramel dip to their Halloween party. I bought the stuff from the store because I thought you couldn’t make anything for schools (we were new here, I guess it’s not such a big deal in rural schools- there were homemade pies!) but I couldn’t believe how, well, disgusting it was.
Sorry to those of you who like it! But there’s really a weird aftertaste, and of course that long list of ingredients, not many of which I recognized as food.
But I wanted to have a caramel dip with all the amazing apple varieties that are becoming easier to find, so I searched for a homemade caramel apple dip I could make that would taste great.
After a couple of tries (too runny, too sticky, even cream cheese – what?) I found a recipe in one of those booklets/cookbooks put out by a church or something that seemed like it may work. Except for the fact that it called for corn syrup and I don’t buy that anymore. So I tried honey and it worked just as well – or should I say better? We had a keeper!
Seriously, you are not going to believe how good this caramel apple dip is – and super easy to boot!
**Note: I’ve updated this favorite family recipe to use less sugar and no one can tell – view the revised recipe here if you’re interested. It’s the only way I make it now, still using the steps outlined below.**
How to Make Homemade Caramel Apple Dip
Isn’t that a great picture? Four ingredients, nothing weird. Yes, it’s still a lot of sugar – that’s why this is a treat, ha! (It’s also why I worked to lessen the sugar in this version.)
Note on sweetened condensed milk: Back when I started the cursed “reading of the labels” and found I had to stop buying a lot of things we liked, I was pleasantly surprised to find that sweetened condensed milk is just whole milk and sugar. For me that works. For those of you that are not wanting to buy any convenience foods there is a recipe for making your own sweetened condensed milk here which I’ve done in the past and found it worked well.
Note on brown sugar: did you know that not all brown sugar is created equal?
I’ve read numerous times that all brown sugar is “just white sugar with molasses added.” While that’s true of the cheap store brands consisting of beet sugar, C&H is pure cane brown sugar with this description on the package:
Some brands of brown sugar aren’t naturally brown at all, they’re white sugar sprayed with a coating of molasses. C&H Golden Brown Sugar 100% Pre Cane Sugar and naturally brown through and through is the real thing, with the rich, nutty caramel flavor you want from a real brown sugar.
There was a comparison done in the Oregonian newspaper years ago that showed differences in baking the same products with cane sugar vs. beet sugar, and since then I’ve always bought cane sugar. I can’t find a link to that old article, but this one from a San Francisco newspaper explains it, too.
So if a recipe you’re making isn’t working out, it could be the type of sugar you’re using!
The recipe is pretty simple, but can be a bit tricky: start by melting the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan, then add the brown sugar, honey, and sweetened condensed milk.
Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly (very important- don’t try to do something else at the same time!).
Lower heat to medium and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly, especially at the edges to keep from sticking.
Note: This takes a few minutes, and every once in awhile I get a few flecks of brown from the bottom when I’m not careful (actually, only when I’m distracted…), but it’s not a burned flavor and still tastes fine. If it does burn on you with a lot stuck on the bottom, I’ve shared the way I’ve saved burnt dip you can find at the bottom of the updated version.
Remove from heat and let cool a bit before pouring into a serving bowl.
You’ll want to serve this warm, since it does harden a bit when refrigerated. It keeps for awhile in the fridge (though not in our house…), you just need to microwave it for a few seconds to soften before using.
Fall Tradition: Apple Tasting with Caramel Apple Dip
One of our family’s favorite traditions that developed at our house after making this recipe is our annual Fall Apple Tasting Night. We’ve invited guests to our tastings, too, and it’s really fun for a group!
How to have your own Fall Apple Tasting Night:
- Buy four or five different apples (pictured are Pinova, Cameo, Pink Lady, and a “no-name” apple from our neighbor’s tree).
- Cut the apples into slices and put them out on small individual plates.
- Write the name of the apple variety on a piece of paper or print them out to set on the plate.
- Serve with small individual bowls of caramel dip.
While the labels may sound all Martha-Stewart-ish, the tasting doesn’t work without the labels – you need to know the different varieties to discuss which everyone likes best.
So don’t be afraid of the labels.
We used to just spoon the caramel onto our plates and dip our apples in it, but then I found these small 1/8-cup bowls and they work much better (I can’t find the exact bowls anymore, but you can see similar round bowls here or condiment bowls here). It’s easier to get every last bit.
And trust me, you’re going to want to get every last bit.
Click the arrow for the full printable caramel apple dip recipe!
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I’ve made this recipe a few times now, and my family and I absolutely LOVE it. Since my wife has been having adverse reactions to something in our local honey (some allergen that the doctors can’t pick out and specify what it is), we have made it with honey, but have also substituted an equal amount of agave syrup as well. The agave syrup gives the finished caramel a different flavor that is (in my opinion) worth trying.
I’m glad this is a keeper recipe for you, William, and I appreciate your tip about the agave syrup. Thanks!
I’m thinking to serve this at a large gathering (~100 people) as a refreshment. Do you think it would need to be in a crock pot, or will it be serve-able at room temperature?
It will get a bit thicker, but still be dipable at room temp. It only solidifies when refrigerated.
Hi Jamie! Just wondering if this recipe can be successfully multiplied for a large group and can this be used for caramel apples or just a dip?
Hmmm, I don’t know, Teri – I’d think working in a larger batch would cause it to scorch more, since that’s an issue with it sometimes at this size. It doesn’t really harden for caramel apples – it solidifies a bit when refrigerated, but I don’t think that’s enough for apples.
Wow, super easy and delicious too. I made one adjustment because my daughter hates the taste of honey, so I used corn syrup. Beautiful texture, so creamy and rich. Perfect with apples or for ice cream. My daughter even thought it would be good in coffee… yum 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing.
I just made this tonight for my guests. I followed it to the letter and let me tell you, it was horrible. I have made many caramel sauces in the past with success but this was awful. This really ruined my evening. I’d recommend spending a little less time taking 45 photos of the same item and more time perfecting your recipes. Given, you do not owe the world anything but this was a waste of my time, money and my evening with my guests and I am not happy about it. I am removing this pin from my Pinterest board. 🙁
Wow, Ashley. Very sorry this didn’t turn out for you. I feel compelled to make a couple of points since your comment is so strong:
1. I am a home baker and all the recipes I post on An Oregon Cottage are foods our family eats regularly. I am not a food blogger simply trying to fill a slot. This recipe is no exception – I have made it for more than 10 years and it is a tradition for us that we love, so I wanted to share it. Seems to me this is the definition of ‘perfecting.’
2. Many others have made it and loved it, too. Some haven’t. It’s not for everyone. I think this is typical of any recipe.
3. I have exactly 4 photos of the finished product. The other photos are of the steps I included to be helpful for a recipe that can be tricky. This does not seem excessive to me.
4. I’m most sad to think something relatively small like a ruined dish (about the price of a magazine we read and toss) would make you not enjoy time with people. Making something that doesn’t turn out how we imagined is not unusual in my experience. I think that’s why I always read that you shouldn’t try new recipes on guests (though I always do, too, lol).
Again, I’m truly sorry you didn’t care for this recipe – it really is a favorite of ours. 🙂
What a beautifully gracious response! I know this is old, but I’m truly impressed. And I’m excited to try your recipe =).
Thank you so much, Elizabeth! That really means a lot to me that you took the time to let me know. I had to go back and revisit this, since I had forgotten – luckily, I don’t get many comments like that one! Most are very sweet like yours. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe!!
Mine turned out grainy and with an applesauce-like consistency and the butter kept separating and making a clear puddle at the top. I consider myself an above-average baker. I know candy-making is trickier than baking, but where did I go wrong? It also had a more honey than caramel taste. I brought it to a boil and stirred constantly (and immediately scorched a little and got brown bits) and continued to slow boil for the 5-10 min. So I don’t know which step I missed 🙁 Not smooth and stretchy at all or caramel-ly, just sweet.
Update: Looks like I was using the “Updated” version of this recipe with 1/2 c brown sugar and 1/4 c honey. Same amounts of butter and sweetened condensed milk. Maybe the original recipe works fine, but the less sugar one is fussier? Or I just stink at caramel-sauce making 🙁
Gosh, Patty, I’m so sorry – I can’t think what happened! I’ve made the updated less sugar one a number of times and it’s always turned out good. The photos I took are really how this recipe turns out for us and that we eat for our annual apple tasting. I wish I could be of more help 🙁
I know this is very late, but it is possible that you stirred too much at one point and left solid sugar crystals on the side of the pan that get moved into the caramel as it finished. Solid bits of sugar like this cause graininess to increase as the caramel ages. Burned bits at the beginning can also contribute to this.
Wow I just made this and I loved it. I halved the recipe and it turned out great. The only down-side was that I burned my finger because I just couldn’t wait to try it but that was my own air-headed mistake.
Does this need to be refrigerated after making? Also, what is the approximate shelf life? I am making this now to put into little mason jars to use as party favors! Can’t wait to taste it! 🙂
Yes, it should be refrigerated. It will harden up a bit when cold, but a just a little warming will bring it back to dip-able consistency. I’m sure it will be okay for a couple weeks, though ours never lasts more than a week in our family. 😉