Caramel Apples with Dairy-Free Cocomels

Want a dairy-free, festive caramel apple this fall? You've come to the right place! There's no scary dairy in this delicious treat. It's also vegan!

Just be careful! This recipe gets very hot, so it's intended to be made by adults until the point the caramel has cooled.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Cool time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 - 1.25 pounds unwrapped Cocomels (around 6 pouches of Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels Vanilla or Sea Salt)

1/2 cup of canned organic coconut milk (not lite)

4 organic apples

large parchment paper baking cups

4 popsicle sticks

Fun, optional toppings: chopped roasted pecans (300 degrees F for 6-10 minutes), crumbled Cocomels Coconut Milk Bites, Vanilla, cinnamon, sprinkles, or cocoa powder!

Directions:

1. Prep the dipping area.

2. Wash apples to remove all fruit wax, and chill.

3. Heat coconut milk in a pot on medium-high heat, stirring constantly until almost boiling.

4. Slowly spoon in and stir the Cocomels over 5 minutes until they are dissolved. This will create a thick, luscious sauce! Be sure the caramel does not stick to the bottom of the pot!

Pro tip: Use a copper pot; the heat will evenly disperse!

5. Once all the Cocomels are dissolved, boil the sauce on medium heat until its temp reaches 240 degrees F, stirring constantly. If you don't have a thermometer, it takes about 10 minutes of boiling. Stirring helps evaporate the water from the coconut milk. The more we evaporate, the stiffer the caramel sauce will be. It's a sauce now, we want it to be chewy, but not hard and brittle -- so don't boil for too long.

CAUTION: THIS IS HOT LAVA!  240+ degrees and sticky. Serious burns are possible if you are not careful.

6. When Cocomels sauce reaches about 240 degrees F, remove from heat and get ready for dipping.

7. Get your apples from fridge, and insert popsicle sticks firmly into apples.

8. Dip into Cocomels sauce, covering the apple up to the stick. Then, place in parchment cups. This will keep as much caramel on the apples as possible.

9. Let cool fully for 1 hour.

10. Remove parchment slowly. If still sticky, let cool for longer. Use parchment paper to smooth and even out the coating.

11. If you've decided to use any fun, optional toppings, roll your apples in those now!

Enjoy! For easy eating, slice your apples. Are you excited for Halloween? Let us know your favorite kind of Cocomels in the comments below!