This Caramel Apple Bar is a fall favorite! Customize your apples with a variety of dips and toppings, plus a trick to keep them fresh all night.
Caramel Apple Bar Guide
I love setting up this Caramel Apple Bar for any event—baby showers, bridal showers, or just a girls’ night in! It’s always a hit!
The best part? Everyone can personalize their apples, making it perfect for anyone with dietary needs since they can choose what works for them.
Today, I’m sharing my top tips for creating the ultimate caramel apple bar. From simple dips to tasty toppings and tricks to keep everything fresh and warm, I’ve got you covered!
Caramel Apple Bar Supplies Needed
Before we get started on the Caramel Apple Bar, let’s cover what you’ll need:
- Jars: Wide-mouth mason jars for easy dipping.
- Sauce Warmer: A 6-quart Crock-Pot filled halfway with water to keep sauces warm.
- Toppings: Use a muffin pan with liners or mini bowls for all your toppings.
- Apple Prep: A big bowl for the saltwater trick and a knife for slicing.
- Serving Tools: Skewers or toothpicks for easy dipping.
- Optional: Cute labels for sauces and toppings, and a nut grinder to quickly chop cookies, nuts, seeds, and candies.
How To Prevent Apples from Turning Brown
Worried about your apple slices turning brown at the Caramel Apple Bar? After trying a few tricks, I found the best one: salted water.
And, don’t worry—your apples won’t taste salty!
Here’s how:
- Mix the Salt Solution: Stir 1/2 teaspoon of salt into a cup of cool water.
- Soak the Apples: Let the apple slices soak in the salt water for 5-10 minutes.
- Rinse: Drain and rinse the apples well under running water.
These apple slices stay crisp and fresh for hours, even overnight in the fridge.
Favorite Dipping Sauces
These are my top 4 picks:
- Caramel: I like to use store-bought Werther’s soft caramels for a quick and tasty caramel sauce.
- Chocolate: Pick from white, milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate. I usually go with white and milk chocolate.
- Butterscotch: Butterscotch and apples go great together. I use butterscotch morsels (melted) here.
- Peanut Butter-Chocolate: Nestle peanut butter and chocolate morsels (melted) are delicious with apples. For a stronger peanut butter flavor, add a scoop of peanut butter to the melted mix.
Quick Tip
Remember, using good quality chocolate chips makes a big difference. Better chocolate chips mean tastier dipping sauces.
The Best Caramel Apple Bar Toppings
Ready to elevate those dipped apples? Here’s our handpicked selection of the best toppings:
- Coconut Flakes: Choose between sweetened or unsweetened. Got a few extra minutes? Toasting them brings out an amazing depth of flavor!
- Dried Fruits: Offer raisins, craisins, and dried tart cherries. Pro tip: Give them a quick chop first!
- Seeds and Nuts: Pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, add crunch and a touch of salt. Crushed pecans, pistachios, or cashews are also great choices.
- Sweet Additions: Now for the good stuff: Heath bar bits, toffee bits, and mini chocolate chips. My favorite!
- Sprinkles: Because no dessert station is complete without some color!
- Cookie Crumbs: Crushed Oreos, Graham Crackers, and Nilla Wafers. Total crowd-pleasers!
- Crushed pretzels: Crushed pretzels balance out the sweetness with a salty crunch.
Quick Tip
Be aware of common allergens like nuts. Keep them away from other toppings and label clearly.
Caramel Apple Bar Tips
- Prep Ahead: Slice and treat apples a few hours before the event using the salt-water method. Store them in an airtight bag or container in the fridge to keep them fresh and crisp.
- Tart vs. Sweet Apples: Offer a mix of tart apples (like Granny Smith) and sweet apples (like Fuji or Honeycrisp). Tart apples work well with sweet dips, while sweet apples pair with slightly bitter dips.
- Choose The Right Apples: Choose firm, crisp apples to avoid ones that fall apart during dipping. Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Jonagold are good choices.
- Apple Alternatives: Try pear slices or banana slices as additional options.
- Keep It Warm: Dips can thicken or harden as they cool. Use a crockpot to keep sauces warm and easy to dip. Stir occasionally.
- Set Up Strategy: Arrange your bar with apples and skewers first, followed by dips, and then toppings. This helps guests move smoothly through the bar.
- Get Feedback: Provide a board or notepad for guests to note their favorite topping combinations. You might find a new popular mix!
Quick Tip
Apple Flavor Profiles:
- Granny Smith: Tart and tangy. These green apples are a classic choice for caramel dipping.
- Fuji: Sweet and juicy with a hint of tartness. Great with darker chocolates.
- Honeycrisp: Super crisp with a balanced sweetness. Pairs well with almost any dip.
- Braeburn: A balance of sweet and tart, with a firm texture. Great with peanut butter.
- Golden Delicious: Mellow and sweet, great with robust flavors like butterscotch.
- Red Delicious: Sweet and slightly floral. Pairs well with almost any dip.
More Fun Apple Recipes:
- Apple Smoothie with vanilla protein powder
- Apple Bread Recipe with grated apples
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust
- Apple Crumble with extra crumble topping!
- Apple Nachos with lots of ideas!
Caramel Apple Bar
This Caramel Apple Bar is a fall favorite! Customize your apples with various dips and toppings, and I'll share a tip to keep them fresh all night—ideal for any autumn gathering or a fun treat!
Equipment
- Wide-mouth Mason Jars
- Crock-Pot 6-quart
- Muffin pan with liners
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1 (10.8-ounce) bag Werther's Original soft caramels unwrapped
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Salt optional
- Vanilla extract optional
Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup chocolate chips see note 1
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or canola oil
Apples
- Apples like Fuji, Granny Smith, or Red Delicious see note 2
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Toppings as desired see note 3
Instructions
- In a medium pot, combine unwrapped caramels, water, and cream. Heat on medium-low until caramels melt, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, mix chocolate chips with oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth. Transfer to a wide-mouth mason jar with a spatula. Alternatively, melt the chocolate directly in the jar, stirring thoroughly to avoid scorching. Repeat with any additional chocolate chip flavors.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup room-temperature water with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slice apples into wedges and soak in the salted water for 5-10 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, and shake off excess. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or at your Apple Bar. Pat dry before dipping to help sauces and toppings stick better.
- Fill a 6-quart Crock-Pot halfway with water and set to high. Place prepared dipping sauces in mason jars into the crockpot, avoiding water entry into the jars. Keep the sauces warm, adding water as needed, and stir occasionally.
- Use a nut grinder, small food processor, sharp knife, or mini blender to finely chop cookies, pretzels, and nuts. Once prepared, organize your toppings in a muffin tin lined with liners or in miniature bowls.
- Set up your serving area with the crockpot of warm sauces, pre-sliced apples, and toppings. Provide skewers or toothpicks for guests. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You can make as many sauces as you want from whatever types of chocolate chips you like. White, semi-sweet, dark, milk, butterscotch, peanut butter, peanut butter & milk chocolate, the possibilities are endless!
Note 3: Balance dips and toppings with a mix of tart and sweet apples. Tart apples, like Granny Smith, pair well with sweet dips, while sweeter apples, like Fuji or Honeycrisp, complement bitter dips like dark chocolate.
Note 4: There are tons of toppings to choose from, blended-up Oreos, Graham Crackers, Nilla Wafers, Pretzels, Heath bar, toffee bits, miniature chocolate chips, sprinkles, sweetened coconut flakes, raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, and pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition: Calories are for a serving of the caramel sauce.
Storage: Enjoy these bites the same day they’re made. Store any leftover diced apple pieces in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day to use for more bites later.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.9g | Cholesterol: 2.8mg | Sodium: 66mg | Sugar: 11g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you add oil to all varieties of chips for dipping?
Yes!
Can you prep the apples the night before and do the salt water trick? Need them for a work lunch but would prefer to not have to slice them at work!
Yes! Put them in an air-tight bag in the fridge after!
These are going on the Halloween Luncheon table at work this year! Sounds so good!
Yay! So happy to hear this! Enjoy! Thanks Debbie! 🙂
Making this Saturday. Wondering if I can pre-melt the chocolate. Without putting it in the refrigerator the day before then let it warm back up in the crockpot day of. Many other things to prepare for.Love the crockpot idea.
I think that would be fine, but you’d have to re-melt it the next day again anyways so I’m not sure if it would end up saving you much (if any) time!
How do you determine how many apples to buy?
I’d say about an apple a person who will be there!
Can you melt the chocolate/Carmel chips in the mason jars in the hot water? Or do you have to melt first?
They take a really, really long time to melt in the hot water and sometimes melt un-evenly!
How long will the apples last without browning using your salt water soak? Thinking about having this out for a party, but apples would be out for about 4hrs
If the apples are good and fresh (not old), they should be good for 4 hours after the salt soak! We have left ours out about 4 hours too and with fresh Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apples we have not had a problem.
Just made this for the teachers at my school and they loved it! I cheated and bought premade caramel. I fit 6 jars in my crockpot and set out the apple cutter with a bowl of water (w/ some sea salt) for extra apple slices. I kept a spoon in each jar. Most teachers spooned sauce and toppings over the slices. I added additional choc chips as jars got low. I brought extra jars to heat up additional caramel as it got low and switched out the caramel jar 3 x’s.
This sounds amazing! I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Tammy! 🙂
What a great idea to welcome fall!
Can’t wait to make this with my
daughter – a fun momma/kids activity!!
🍏🍎🍁
Awe thanks Tammy!! Yes the perfect mom and kid activity <3 enjoy!!
Can i use coconut oil instead of
Vegetable for the chocolate and
Why is it added.
Thank you
Yes you can! Added to give it a slightly thinner/better dipping consistency!