Caramel Apple Nacho Bar is as delicious as caramel apples, but without all the hassle! It’s definitely become my favorite fall treat.
Caramel apples are probably the signature treat for the fall! Have you ever made them before? They are a pain in the neck to make if you don’t do it right. They sure are gorgeous to look at and even more fun to eat.
Caramel Apples
If you follow me on Instagram (which I hope you do!) then you’ll be extra excited for this post. I am in charge of my church’s women’s group for monthly activities like the one I helped with back here. Once a year we get together for something called Super Saturday. Our committee decides on fun and easy crafts for our church sister’s to sign up for and we’ll typically have a lunch and some dessert. Last year I did a fun Italian Soda bar and everyone seemed to enjoy it. See how I did the apple bar here.
This year I wanted to do a caramel apple bar and have everyone make their own caramel apples. Awesome, right? Well, I was having a hard time thinking of how to keep the caramel warm enough to dip, yet cool enough to where it would set up fast. Then I had the thought to just make 60 apples myself the night before and have this cool display for everyone to enjoy! I’m crazy, I know. It’s a great thing I have people in my life who keep me grounded and quickly put a stop to my madness. I already had so much on my plate!
In the same day, three different people suggested I just do caramel apple nachos which was a fantastic idea. I wanted to personalize it so I quickly turned it into a caramel apple nacho bar where everyone could just make their own and have it tastes just as great as a standard caramel apple.
How To Create Your Own Caramel Apple Nacho Bar
I’ve gotten so many questions about exactly what I did to pull it off so I wanted to share it here in hopes that you try it out and let me know how it turned out for you! I used the ingredients in these pictures as an after school snack for my kids. They loved it and thought it was really cool they got to make their own.
When preparing your apples you’ll need a few things. A large bowl filled with ice water, a lemon or two and an apple slicer.
The ice water helps the sliced apples stay crisp and firm.
The acidity from the lemons help the apples from turn brown. This is vital if you aren’t planning on serving the sweet nachos right away. Let the slices sit in the water for 20 minutes up to 2 hours. Once you’ve drained them place them in an airtight container until you are ready to serve them. A large Ziploc bag works great.
You most definitely can slice the apples with a sharp knife, but I find an apple slicer works so much faster. I purchased mine at my local grocery store, but you can find a similar Apple Slicer here. This one works amazingly well because it cuts them thinner.
Caramel Sauce Recipe
Years ago a friend shared with me her most favorite caramel sauce recipe. It soon became mine and I make it every year to simple dip apple slices in (when I don’t make these nachos). My boys love it as an after school snack and you can find the Caramel Sauce Recipe here.
If you aren’t up for making your own Caramel or Chocolate Sauce, I really like Torani Caramel Sauce and Torani Chocolate Sauce. I picked up a Torani Sauce 3 Pack here. It included caramel, chocolate and white chocolate. All would be perfect!
These Caramel Apple Nachos would definitely work for any Halloween party, fall festival, but how fun would it be for little kids at Thanksgiving time to keep them busy when everyone else is taking post-dinner naps?!
Customize your toppings to what you like. I asked my followers on Instagram what they would like on their Caramel Apple Nachos and they came up with a wonderful list.
Toppings For A Caramel Apple Nacho Bar
Caramel Apple Nacho Bar
Caramel Apple Nacho Bar
Ingredients
- 5 Large Apples, Granny Smith and Honeycrisp
- 1 Large Lemon
- Caramel Sauce Recipe (Link Above)
- 2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
- Topping Of Your Choice
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with cold water.
- Slice lemon in half and squeeze the whole lemon into it. This will help the apples not turn brown so quickly.
- Wash and core apples.
- Slice apples into thin wedges and place immediately into lemon water.
- Make caramel (or butterscotch sauce) according to directions.
- In a medium microwave proof bowl, melt together chocolate chips and oil for about 1 minute, stirring after each 10 seconds until completely melted.
- Pour caramel sauce and chocolate sauce into two separate *squeeze bottles.
- Place toppings into individual bowls or a large muffin tin as pictured above.
- Remove apple slices from water and lightly pat dry. Place onto a platter or bowl.
- Let everyone serve themselves!
*I purchased my squeeze bottles at Walmart. They are the same I use for my Sno Cone Syrups.
Sandy@pinktoolgirl
October 24, 2015 at 8:20 pmI absolutely love this idea! I will be using it for my next party. One dish for all the toppings….brilliant! Thanks for the great pics!