If you have your heart set on dipping the apples, you won't want to try this. But for fall festivals at my church, we've sectioned the apples, then put them in a dish with the caramel on the side. Use one of those metal apple thingys that removes the core & cuts the sections at the same time. We've melted the caramels in a crockpot - takes a while, so you have to plan ahead. My sister is able to buy caramel in big slabs (4 or 8 lbs., I forget) at a craft store (dare I name it? - Ben Franklin) where she lives. That would save unwrapping the caramels. I prefer the taste of real caramels to the caramel dip you find next to the apples at the grocery store.

Sorry to post and run DH1~ busy days of late.. Here is the recipe copied straight from Ann's Dessert book. I think this would make a FAB apple coating! But below it is the caramel recipe. I think I might try dipping the baby apples in Maple Cream Fudge. ~I have made both recipes using cream NOT Sweetened Condensed Milk. Maple Cream Fudge option: Replace the cream and cup of white sugar with one can of sweetened condensed milk and up the maple syrup to 1 cup ================= 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup cream 1/3 cup of butter 1/4 cup of maple syrup pinch of salt vanilla (I use 1 full teaspoon.) . Add the two sugars, butter and cream maple syrup and salt into a saucepan. Place over medium heat. Stir while bringing to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to stir slowly while the mixture cooks. After about 7 minutes, test by pouring a small amount into some cold water. You want it to form a soft ball. You might need to cook it for another minute or two. Remove from the heat, add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla and start stirring. It takes about 14 or 15 minutes for the fudge to cool and thicken. Pour into buttered dish. To make Carmels instead of fudge, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup white 1/2 cup white corn syrup 1 cup butter 1 cup cream pinch of salt vanilla (I used 1 FULL teaspoon) Cook to almost hard ball stage. Let cool slightly, stir and then pour into butter pan or mini muffin tins.

Trudy, the beauty of only a bottom crust is that if it looks ugly or tears or whatever, you patch it and cover it with apples. If you want a top crust and it doesn't go well, just cut circles or diamonds or strips or little apples or whatever and put them on top and pretend you meant to do that! Those tiny cookie cutters are finally good for something, LOL. mare, thank you. It did taste as good as it looks and didn't last as long as I thought it would. (grin) I did post the recipe for Trudy on another thread but I'd be happy to post it again. I made it from this recipe, but skipped the top crust and instead of the powdered sugar/milk glaze made a maple glaze from powdered sugar, maple syrup and some maple extract (to taste). I also left out the cornflakes as I didn't have any and usually don't have any. It's good with or without them. The extra crust makes a second slab, or a top crust, your choice. It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge. Mine became a second apple "slab" as the first one was so good. The original recipe, I think, came from Midwest Living. Apple Slab 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1 egg yolk Milk 1 cup cornflakes 8 -10 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (8 cups) 3/4-1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 cup powdered sugar 3 -4 teaspoons milk In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a liquid measuring cup, beat egg yolk lightly. Add enough milk to make 2/3 cup liquid. Stir well to combine. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture with a fork until combined (dough will be slightly sticky). Divide mixture in half. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to a 17x12-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and unfold dough, pressing to fit into the bottom and sides of the pan. Sprinkle with cornflakes. Top evenly with apples. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Roll remaining dough to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Fold dough crosswise into thirds. Place atop apples and unfold dough. Crimp edges or use the tines of a fork to seal. Cut slits in the top. Brush top with beaten egg white. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 50 minutes or until golden and apples are tender, covering with foil after the first 25 minutes of baking time to prevent overbrowning. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm bars. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes 32 bars. Annie

Congratulations on your first grandchild - the first one is always so special! I recently found a recipe website that I like a lot and they happen to have a baby shower feature that you might find interesting. I'm not exactly certain what types of foods you might want, but here are some sandwich ideas I might choose for an afternoon baby shower. I love appetizer type foods and think they're always nice to have a large assortment at a party so I've posted some favorite recipes. Wizardnm/Nancy's Cream cheese filling for wraps 8 oz pkg. cream cheese 2 green onions (white part and about 1 inch of the green part) 2 tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix 2 to 3 tbsp white wine (optional) Combine all in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread a couple tbsp of mixture on each tortilla. Fill using leaf lettuce, sliced deli meat of choice. A great cocktail pinwheel can also be made using the above mixture and the following. Olive and Green Chili Blend ¾ C chopped green olives ¾ C chopped black olives 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chili's Combine the olives and green chili's. Spread a tortilla with the cream cheese mixture then spread with olive mixture. Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hrs or longer. Unwrap and slice into pinwheels about 1 inch thick. During the holidays I like to combine cream cheese with a bit of cranberry relish, spread on a tortilla and place deli thin sliced smoked turkey on it. Roll up and refrigerate as above. Yummy! (Nancy) CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES Posted by: Lindac (My Page) on Fri, Aug 16, 02 at 12:35 8 oz cream cheese, softened, add 2 oz blue cheese,2 tsp w'shire, a rounded teaspoon chopped parsley, fresh if possible,2 T sherry ( dry or cream) and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. 8 oz cream cheese, 2 tsp grated lemon rind, 2 tsp rosemary, chopped fine and a couple of squeezes lemon juice to make it spreadable. Cream cheese with a can of tiny shrimp, drained and seasoned with grated lemon rind and horse radish. Date nut bread spread with cream cheese. MARILYN'S HOLIDAY DEVILLED EGGS Pink and Blue for this shower, I would think! Posted by: DanaIN (My Page) on Sat, Jul 5, 03 at 10:04 Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Cover completely with water and add a large amount of salt, 2 tablespoons and about 1 tablespoon vinegar. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, keeping covered and allow to sit undisturbed for 25 minutes. Drain water and plunge eggs into ice water. If coloring eggs, for each color bring about 2/3 cup of water to a boil. stir in about 1/4 teaspoon vinegar and food color as desired. Carefully drop in cooked egg white and leave it in the water until it reaches the color you want (color will become more intense out of the water). Drain well on a rack until cool, fill as desired. Also, I got my egg plate at Walmart for about $3 I think! If you be sure to put a few drops of vinegar in your hot water with the food color, you will get darker eggs. Cool completely before peeling and remove yolks. Mash yolks and stir in other desired ingredients (Miracle Whip, mustard, pinch of sugar). Fill eggs (using a pastry bag) with yolk mixture and garnish as desired. Posted by: cookingrvc (My Page) on Sun, Nov 7, 04 at 12:49 Had a lot of eggs in the fridge, and a fair amount of cheese, so I put together a crustless quiche in a 13x9 pan. This one was good, I must say. They key is finding the perfect ratio of eggs to cream, which I think I've nailed. As long as there are 1 1/2 cups cream (I guess you can use milk, although I haven't used it straight yet) to 4 large eggs, it is foolproof... Measurements are approximate. I just make sure that the fillings substantially fill up the baking dish before the liquids are added. Can make ahead and refrigerate. Remove from fridge and let sit for 30 minutes before heating in 200° oven for 30 minutes. Large Quiche 4 1/2 Cups cream 12 Eggs Salt & Pepper 1 lb bacon - crisp 1/3 lb ham (I had sliced, but you can get the ham slabs and cut into cubes) 1 large onion - chopped 8 oz swiss - grated 4 oz. goat cheese - crumbled 5 oz. cheedar - shredded Preheat oven to 350° Mix eggs, cream, salt, and pepper - set aside Fill baking dish with fillings. Pour egg mixture over filling. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until center is set. "Sweet Sausage Puffs" Vivian31 1 pkg cocktail sausages 1 can (10) biscuits Preheat oven to 350 Roll biscuits flat, cut into quarters, roll 1 cocktail sausauge into it and seal edge. Please seam side down in a greased baking dish. Sauce: 1/2 c. butter 1 c. brown sugar 1/2 cup fine chop pecans 2 tbsp. water Melt butter, add brown sugar, pecans, water, bring to boil. Pour over top of sausage rolls and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. PARTY SHRIMP SPREAD Posted by: Ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Oct 7, 02 at 17:07 2 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese 1 cup cocktail sauce 1 1/2 cups (1 lb.) cooked baby shrimp 1/3 cup chopped green onions 1/3 cup chopped green pepper 1/3 cup sliced ripe olives 1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella On a pizza pan or large, flat round tray, spread the cream cheese evenly. Spread the cocktail sauce on top. Sprinkle the shrimp, green onions, green pepper, olives and tomatoes onto the cocktail sauce. Distribute the Parmesan cheese evenly over all the other ingredients so it looks like a pizza. Cover and chill until serving time. Serve as a spread with crackers. Posted by brenda55 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 28, 06 at 15:37 I know, most are familiar with the cream cheese topped with the Raspberry Roasted Chipotle Sauce. I was served a recent appetizer where the cream cheese had actually been blended with the Raspberry Roasted Chipotle Sauce and then topped with toasted pecans. It was very good and relatively quick and easy