Cookish: Something Sweet

It's fall; time for caramel apples! I adapted the recipe from Chow: http://www.chow.com/recipes/12223-basic-caramel-apple. Sorry for the odd measurements; I cut the recipe in half and had to make some substitutions due to what I had on hand.


INGREDIENTS

• 4 large apples
• 4 chopsticks or craft sticks
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 7/8 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup  corn syrup
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the apples under hot water to get off any wax coating, then dry thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside. Set the apples stem side up, and push the sticks down into the apple cores; set aside. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture registers 250°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. [I lost my candy thermometer, so I just went with the ice bath test: http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html You're looking for "firm ball" stage.) Immediately dip the bottom of the saucepan in the ice water bath and let it chill until the bubbles have subsided, about 1 minute. Stir until stiff caramel from the bottom is incorporated into the warm caramel on top. Remove from the water bath.
3. Dip the apples one at a time into the caramel, rotating once to coat 3/4 of the way up the sides. Lift the apple straight up from the caramel, letting the excess drip back into the pot until the drips have slowed, about 10 to 15 seconds. Flip the apple so the stem is facing downward and let the caramel set, about 10 to 15 seconds more. Place on the prepared baking sheet, stem side up, and repeat with the remaining apples. (If the caramel gets too hard to coat the apples well, set the pan over low heat and rewarm, stirring constantly, until the caramel is loose and pourable.)
4. Refrigerate the apples until set, at least 10 minutes. The apples can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day in advance.

NOTE: I was taking these to a party, so I wanted slices instead of the whole apples. First, I cut the apple and dipped just the slices. Don't do this. The caramel only sticks to the peel, not the inner part of the apple. So, dip the whole apple, and then slice it. That's your best bet.