In partnership with Safeway
Halloween is just around the corner and this recipe gives you a spooky treat with a smoky undertone, perfect for your family and friends to enjoy. With the ease of Safeway’s DriveUp & Go service through the Safeway app, we had all the ingredients we needed to make smoked caramel apples on the Traeger for a Halloween treat.
A CLASSIC HALLOWEEN TREAT
When you think of caramel apples, certainly you think of autumn and the Halloween festivities of our youth. I think of stick cheeks and unfinished apples and copious amounts of toppings. My mom always ran the Halloween carnival at my elementary school growing up and my most favorite thing was getting a caramel apple at the end of the night. So these things bring back big nostalgia for me.
WITH A TRAEGER TWIST
But as you know, we try to make everything we can on the Traeger grills, or at least incorporate something from the grill in all the dishes we make. When we were thinking about creative and delicious halloween treats, we started by perusing the ad from our local Safeway store to see what kind of inspiration we could find.
Apples, of all varieties, are on sale for 97¢ a pound* and the ad paired a tub of storebought caramel dip with them. That was all the inspiration we needed to make our own, homemade, Traeger-fied version of this Halloween classic.
SMOKED CREAM
A fun topping we like to serve with desserts around our house is smoked whipped cream. It’s a fun and easy technique to bring some wood-fired flavor into the heavy cream before beating it, resulting in light, sweet and fluffy cream with just a hint of smoky flavor. Knowing that heavy cream was a key ingredient in homemade caramel, we jumped at the opportunity to add some smoke flavor to our homemade caramel sauce.
SMOKED APPLES
Additionally, we wanted to add some wood-fired Traeger smoke flavor to the base of this dish– the apples. Doing so without cooking the apples is fairly easy because of the low temperature setting you can use with the super smoke feature. We went for 225* on the whole apples, for about 45 minutes, and they ended up with some really great flavor.
MAKE YOUR OWN CARAMEL SAUCE
In a hurry? Definitely pick up a tub of caramel sauce from your local Safeway and you’ll be on your way to tasty caramel apples. But we highly recommend you give yourself just a little extra time and make the caramel sauce yourself. It’s pretty easy– and comes together quickly– and will have that distinctive wood-fired flavor from the smoked heavy cream.
COOK IT OUTSIDE
An easy way to cut down on mess, smells and cleanup is to cook outdoors. Our Traeger Timberline XL grill has an auxiliary induction burner on the side and we love to use that for all varieties of cooking– from sauces and sides to deep frying and making candy, it works wonders and keeps with our theme of all outdoor cooking.
It’s important to use a large, heavy-bottomed pan when making a homemade caramel sauce. Additionally, you’ll need a candy thermometer (or instant read thermometer) to monitor the temperature of the caramel as it cooks. You can clip a candy thermometer on the pan or use the instant read on a regular basis to get the same kind of results.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAUCE
An excellent homemade caramel sauce is just a few simple steps and pantry ingredients away. You can make it tonight, most likely!
With the stove on medium heat the duration of the cook…
Begin by melting together butter and brown sugar until well combined. Then stir in the corn syrup until incorporated. Then stir in the smoked heavy cream and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Then add your candy thermometer (or begin testing the temperature at regular intervals) and stop stirring the mixture. Allow it to keep cooking at medium heat until the temperature reads 240*. Once that happens, pull the pan off the heat and allow the caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes.
THEN YOU’RE READY TO DIP!
Then you’re ready to dip! The apples you’ve smoked on the grill for 25-45 minutes should be back to room temperature (or ideally refrigerator temperature) before the caramel is cooked and cooled.
Stick a wooden skewer in the center of each apple and get your topping ingredients ready.
WHAT TO USE TO TOP SMOKED CARAMEL APPLES?
We stuck with some traditional toppings for our smoked caramel apples on the Traeger. Mini M&Ms, sprinkles or mixed nuts. And for some we just left them plain. Whatever you decide to use for decoration, put those out before teh caramel is done so you’re ready to go. We initialy used bowls that we thought the apples would fit in (for easy rolling) but ultimately found that applying the toppings by hand was easier and more consistent.
SOME OTHER TOPPING IDEAS FOR SMOKED CARAMEL APPLES
Other ideas for toppings include:
- Crumbled candied bacon
- Coconut shreds
- Chocolate chips
- Toffee nibs
- Dry cereal (like Kix or Cocoa Crispies)
HOW TO DIP SMOKED CARAMEL APPLES
The process of dipping your apples in the caramel is easy but takes a little finesse. You want the pool of caramel to be deep enough to nearly cover your apple. And you want it cooled enough so that it adheres to the apples really well. You may benefit from having an extra set of hands while doing this step– someone to tip the pan so you have adequate dunkage for your apples.
Immediately cover the caramel dipped apples in the toppings of your choice and then transfer them to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining apples before putting them in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.
SERVE SMOKED CARAMEL APPLES AND ENJOY!
You can definitely go elementary school carnival style and serve your smoked caramel apples right on the stick. Or use a sharp knife to cut off pieces or slices of the apple for serving. For the kids, it was definitely the way to go. Enjoy your Traeger smoked caramel apples as you soak in the autumn chill.
A QUICK AND EASY GROCERY ORDER
Using the Safeway app, I put together the grocery order in quick fashion once my wife and I made the plan. The ingredients were things we needed anyway and a couple additions to make these Smoked Caramel Apples on the Traeger a big family hit. A few clicks later, we had confirmation that our grocery order was accepted and we knew we’d have a personal shopper in the store selecting all the things we’d need for this delicious dish.
The night before, we reviewed Safeway’s weekly circular mailer and found highlights on several ingredients that would be perfect for this dish. What stood out most was the great deal on apples– 97¢ a pound*– which was perfect for us. The kids like apples as snacks, we needed a slew of apples for this recipe and a good deal makes everything easier and more affordable.
ALL IN ONE PICKUP
The DriveUp & Go service at Safeway means that I dropped by my Safeway store on the way home from work– to grab our family’s groceries without getting out of the car. I was running tight on time for daycare pickup, but luckily the DriveUp & Go service is so quick and efficient that I wasn’t late for the kids.
We had known that the apples would be on sale and that our personal grocery shopper would select the perfect apples for our needs. Sure enough, when the bags got placed in the back of my car, they were hand-selected for our caramel apple dipping needs!
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Apples (we got a variety of types: Granny Smith, Gala and Honey Crisp)
- Lucerne Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter
- Signature Select Dark Brown Sugar
- Signature Select Light Corn Syrup
- Lucerne Heavy Whipping Cream
- Mini Peanut Butter M&Ms
- Open Nature Nut Toppings
- Signature Select Rainbow Sprinkles
- 6” bamboo skewers
WHY MAKING SMOKED CARAMEL APPLES ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
Adding some wood-fired flavor to caramel apples seems like the perfect way to combine our love of outdoor cooking with the iconic flavors of fall. With Halloween just around the corner, I have been super excited to introduce our twins to some fun holiday traditions and one of those is food that triggers nostalgia.
By first smoking the whole apples and the heavy cream, we are able to imbue two layers of smoky flavor in this dish, in very different applications. The apple gets some smoke in the flesh and on the skin and the cream brings smokiness throughout the silky caramel topping.
In addition, using the induction burner outside to make the caramel sauce gave us the ability to cook outside, enjoy the gorgeous weather and limit the cleanup and mess of cooking indoors. Win-win!
STEP-BY-STEP
- Pick up your grocery ingredients at your local Safeway store.
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Wash the apples and pull out the stems.
- Place the apples on a cookie sheet.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a glass oven-proof dish.
- Set the dish of whipping cream inside a larger glass oven-proof dish and surround with ice.
- Place the apples and the cream in the preheated grill and smoke for 25-45 minutes.
- Carefully remove the fruit and the cream from the grill.
- Place the smoked apples in the fridge to bring them back to a cold temperature (important for getting the caramel to stick).
- Place a large saucepan on the induction burner of your Traeger Timberline XL grill.
- Gently heat the pan and place the butter in the pan, heating until melted.
- Stir in the brown sugar and stir constantly until melted and combined.
- Pour in the corn syrup and continue stirring constantly while the pan remains on medium heat.
- Stir in the heavy cream and stir again for about 5 minutes until well combined.
- Add a candy thermometer to your pan, stop stirring and allow the caramel to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until it reaches 240*.
- Remove the pan from the stove and allow the caramel to cool for about 15 minutes.
- When your caramel is cooled, stick a wooden skewer in the center of each apple.
- Tilt the pan of caramel and dip each apple until nearly fully submerged.
- Repeat the dipping a few times to get a heavy coating of caramel.
- Then cover the apple with the toppings of your choice.
- Transfer the apples to a cookie sheet with parchment and repeat with the remaining apples.
- Refrigerate the smoked caramel apples for at least 15 minutes before serving.
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
Here are some other ideas for great treats to enjoy during this autumn weather:
- Smoky & Spooky Traegered Halloween Treats (deviled eggs & brownies)
- Cherry Cheesecake Monkey Bread
- S’Mores Dip
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
Products used in this smoked caramel apples on the Traeger cook:
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Smoked Caramel Apples on the Traeger
Equipment
- Traeger grill
- Outdoor burner
- Heavy saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Instant read or candy thermometer
- pastry brush
- Oven proof glass dishes
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 6 Apples we got a variety of types: Granny Smith, Gala and Honey Crisp
- 1 stick Lucerne Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter
- 1 cup Signature Select Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Signature Select Light Corn Syrup
- 2 cups Lucerne Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 cup Mini Peanut Butter M&Ms
- 1 cup Open Nature Nut Toppings
- 1 cup Signature Select Rainbow Sprinkles
- 6 six-inch bamboo skewers
Instructions
- Pick up your grocery ingredients at your local Safeway store.
- Preheat your Traeger Grill to 225* with the super smoke feature enabled.
- Wash the apples and pull out the stems.
- Place the apples on a cookie sheet.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into a glass oven-proof dish.
- Set the dish of whipping cream inside a larger glass oven-proof dish and surround with ice.
- Place the apples and the cream in the preheated grill and smoke for 25-45 minutes.
- Carefully remove the fruit and the cream from the grill.
- Place the smoked apples in the fridge to bring them back to a cold temperature (important for getting the caramel to stick).
- Place a large saucepan on the induction burner of your Traeger Timberline XL grill.
- Gently heat the pan and place the butter in the pan, heating until melted.
- Stir in the brown sugar and stir constantly until melted and combined.
- Pour in the corn syrup and continue stirring constantly while the pan remains on medium heat.
- Stir in the heavy cream and stir again for about 5 minutes until well combined.
- Add a candy thermometer to your pan, stop stirring and allow the caramel to cook for another 15-20 minutes or until it reaches 240*.
- Remove the pan from the stove and allow the caramel to cool for about 15 minutes.
- When your caramel is cooled, stick a wooden skewer in the center of each apple.
- Tilt the pan of caramel and dip each apple until nearly fully submerged.
- Repeat the dipping a few times to get a heavy coating of caramel.
- Then cover the apple with the toppings of your choice.
- Transfer the apples to a cookie sheet with parchment and repeat with the remaining apples.
- Refrigerate the smoked caramel apples for at least 15 minutes before serving.
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