This post was created in partnership with Chocoley Chocolate. We received product in exchange for this post. All opinions and ideas are my own.
Step outside the box and really treat your guests with Gourmet Caramel Apple Edible Wedding Favors. They'll never forget your special day when you serve these homemade sweets. Crisp, sweet apples coated with rich, buttery caramel ....then drizzled with dark chocolate and white chocolate...everyone is sure to fall in love.
Let the Wedding Planning Begin!
If you have ever planned a wedding, you know it is a huge undertaking. There are so many tiny little details that make the day truly special. And every girl has her own dream of what her wedding day should be like. From the lace on the dress to the perfect shade of roses, down to the font used on the cocktail napkins.
One of the best parts of any wedding day is the reception. The reception is a very BIG DETAIL. This is the time when your closest family and friends join you to celebrate the joy of the day. Ours, of course, included lots of food and sweets!
Since our wedding budget was limited, we decided to make edible wedding favors. Serving / gifting edible wedding favors is a great way to fill out the food offering AND give your guests a memorable token of your appreciation.
These Gourmet Caramel Apple Wedding Favors Were Such a Hit at My Daughter's Wedding
Rachel's goal was to create a fun, country-style wedding. She came up with the idea to have caramel apples at the reception. "Mom, can we do this?" Like any good mom would do, I said "Of course, honey, no problem."
But I'd never made caramel apples before in my life. Sure, I'd eaten my fair share. Surely I could make 80 delicious caramel-coated apples for our closest family and friends for my daughter's wedding, right?
Right? *crickets*
I'm not going to lie. I started to panic. After pricing ready-made apples, I realized there was no room in the budget. Back to the drawing board.
How on earth was I going to keep my promise to my daughter and still create an amazing wedding favor??
By 100% chance, at the very same time I was about to go off of the deep end, Jen at Chocoley Chocolate reached out to me about how Buy This Cook That and Chocoley could partner together. "Well, we are doing caramel apples..."
Chocoley Chocolate saved my life -- and helped make my daughter's dream day a reality. Not only does Chocoley create premium chocolate for baking and decorating, they also offer Gourmet Chocolate Caramel Apple Kits and supplies.
The Gourmet Chocolate Caramel Apple Kits came with everything I needed to make luscious edible wedding favors just like Rachel wanted. The kit includes premium quality caramel, wooden sticks, gourmet chocolate, bags, complete instructions, and more. All you supply is the apples. 🙂
Chocoley Chocolate is a small, family-owned business that puts customer happiness first and only sells the highest quality products. If you are looking for rich caramel or premium chocolate crafted in the Belgian tradition, visit their website. Or call them, they are more than happy to talk to you on the phone at 1-866-528-5252.
Ingredients Needed to Make Caramel Apples with Chocoley Chocolate:
- Apples
- Caramel - in the kit
- Wooden sticks - in the kit
- Decorating chocolate - in the kit
- Jumbo cellophane bags - optional, in the kit
- Dipping sheets - in the kit
- Parchment paper
- Toppings, nuts, etc. - optional
For our wedding favors, we went with a variety of apples. Classic Granny Smith is a great choice because they are firm, crisp, and their tartness pairs wonderfully with the satiny caramel.
We also used Gala, Ambrosia, and Fuji apples. For best results, I recommend using apples that are naturally crisp.
TIP: Remove the wax from the apples before starting. Simply fill a sink with VERY hot water. Working in batches, soak the apples for 1 - 2 minutes in the hot water. With a towel, scrub the apple all over to remove the wax.
All apples have a coating of natural wax on them. However, most apple suppliers and grocers add more wax. Removing the wax ensures that the caramel coating sticks perfectly. I have read that you can use a solution of boiling water and vinegar, and they even sell a chemical that removes the wax. However, I found that a super hot sinkful of tap water worked great!
Now, let's talk about this luscious caramel from Chocoley.com. Yes, I said luscious. You have never in your life had caramel this good. Just when I thought all caramel was created equal, I was wrong.
This. Caramel. Is. Heaven. It is buttery, rich, and perfect for caramel apples. It has the perfect bite and never sticks to your teeth. Plus, it is so easy to work with. (I saved some of the caramel for an upcoming recipe post! Yummy!)
Each Caramel Apple Kit comes with a 5 pound block of premium caramel. This bulk size is so much easier to work with than wrapped caramels or sheets. Party perfect, too. Each block is enough caramel to coat about 35 apples, give or take a few based on the size of your apples and how thick you want the caramel.
TIP: Smaller apples are easier to work with and easier to eat.
How to Make Caramel Apple Wedding Favors:
- First, remove the wax from the apples by soaking them for 1 - 2 minutes in VERY hot water. Scrub the wax with a towel and set aside.
- Then carefully insert a wooden stick into the center of each apple. (You can first remove the apple stem if you want.)
- Prepare several trays by lining them with parchment paper. I used cookie sheets and baking pans. You can also use the heavy duty drip sheets that come in the kit.
- Slowly melt the caramel either in the microwave or on the stove top in a double boiler. (Follow package directions, it is super easy.)
- Carefully dip each apple into the melted caramel, turning and twisting to coat the apple on all sides.
- Next, place the caramel-coated apples onto the parchment lined pans or drip sheets. Place the apples into the fridge for several minutes to give the caramel time to set.
- Melt the chocolate included in the Chocoley Kit according to package directions. Remove the caramel apples from the refrigerator and decorate as desired.
- Return to the refrigerator until time to package or serve. Keep reading this post for more details on packaging!
Rachel and I were very impressed with how easy it is to make the caramel apples. The Caramel Apple Kits from Chocoley are excellent for weddings, birthday parties, watch parties, tailgating and more. You can also add flavoring to the chocolate and add your own gourmet toppings to fit your theme.
Check out our ideas at the end of this post. You can also visit Chocoley.com for more instructions and inspiration. I signed up for their newsletter. They regularly send yummy + fun recipes. Chocolate Lovers Only!
Click here for more information on the Caramel Apple Kit from Chocoley Chocolate.
TIP: This really is easy! My advice is to work in stages. Clean all of the apples, insert all of the sticks, almost like a delicious assembly line. Be sure you have plenty of room in your fridge if you aren't serving the apples immediately.
Let your imagination and creativity run wild with decorating. You can dip them in caramel and then double-dip in chocolate for the ultimate treat. We drizzled some in gourmet white chocolate, and the rest in decadent dark chocolate. Classy, simple, and divine.
Chocoley makes decorating easy by packaging the chocolate in a fun melt + squeeze bag. Just heat the bag, massage to melt, snip the end of the bag, and drizzle to your heart's content.
Chocoley Chocolate products are also allergy aware. They are gluten free, tree nut free, egg free, celiac safe, and no hydrogenated oils. Chocoley ingredients are also ethically resourced and socially responsible. You can feel good about enjoying and serving their products.
Tips + Tricks for the Best Caramel Apple Wedding Favors:
You can certainly make these the day of the wedding. However, it worked best for our schedule to make them ahead of time.
According to Jen at Chocoley Chocolate, you make your caramel apple wedding favors up to 1 week in advance. Just be sure to keep them refrigerated until serving.
If you choose to serve the apples in bags, DO NOT bag until a day before or morning of the event to prevent condensation from collecting in the bag. Here's a timeline for guidance:
- TUESDAY: Shop for apples. Look for firm, crisp, apples with no bruises.
- WEDNESDAY: Make caramel apples, decorate, and chill in the fridge.
- FRIDAY NIGHT: Bag and tag apples; return to the fridge.
- SATURDAY (WEDDING DAY): Serve!
If weather conditions are warm, you can place the apples in bags over ice in a tray. However, it may not be needed. Once the Chocoley Caramel sets up, it is shiny and firm. Perfection!
You can really go with any wedding theme when serving caramel apples. Glam it up with edible gold flake. Use satin ribbon and glitzy tags. Or, keep it simple and rustic like we did by using twine, doilies, wood slabs and vintage silver.
To make the tags, you can have them printed online. Or make your own! Here is a link to DIY printable tags to get you started.
More Tips + Tricks for Edible Wedding Favors:
- Work with small apples. Why? Easier to work with. Maximizes your budget by making more wedding favors. And they are easier to eat.
- Add flavored oils to the chocolate to fit the occasion. Cinnamon, cheesecake, almond...the options are mouthwatering!
- Roll your apples in crushed almonds, pecans, or pistachios.
- Use any leftover chocolate to make chocolate covered strawberries. (Or, pick up more chocolate from Chocoley! P.S. They sell fondue and fountain chocolate, too!)
- Make the wedding favors to match your wedding theme. Halloween wedding? Get spooky! Fall is your thing? Keep it classic with rustic elements. Winter wedding? How about dusting the caramel apples with glittery sanding sugar? Spring fling? Tint white chocolate in pastel colors and dip completely for a brightly colored apple.
- Serve with or without the bags based on your aesthetic, schedule, and weather conditions.
- Keep the apples chilled by placing them (in bags) over a large tray of ice.
- Add a special, personal note on the gift tags.
- Change the look of your edible wedding favors by tinting the chocolate. Match your signature colors!
- What to tie the bags with? Ribbon, twine, jute cord, embroidery thread, yarn, lace, leather cord...the options are endless.
- Make these caramel apples for a fun-filled birthday party. Great for carnival and circus themes, don't you think?
We hope you are inspired to make your own Caramel Apple Wedding Favors. They truly were so fun to make, and even more fun to eat. We hope that our guests will always remember Rachel's special day.
Be sure to visit Chocoley Chocolate for all of your gourmet chocolate and caramel supplies. They truly put their customers first and helped me every step of the way with my questions. Be on the lookout for our next Chocoley creation. 🙂
More Chocolate Inspiration:
Mint Chocolate Chip No Bake Dessert
Dark Chocolate Frozen Banana Pops
Boozy Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
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📖 Recipe
Gourmet Caramel Apples
Ingredients
- 35 apples small
- 5 pounds Chocoley Chocolate Caramel
- ¼ pound Chocoley Chocolate Dark Chocolate
- ¼ pound Chocoley Chocolate White Chocolate
- wooden sticks
- parchment paper / dipping sheets
- cellophane bags
Instructions
- First, remove the wax from the apples by soaking them for 1 – 2 minutes in VERY hot water. Scrub the wax off with a towel and set aside.
- Then carefully insert a wooden stick into the center of each apple. (You can first remove the apple stem if you want.)
- Prepare several trays by lining them with parchment paper. You can also use the heavy duty drip sheets that come in the kit.
- Slowly melt the caramel either in the microwave or on the stove top in a double boiler. (Follow package directions, it is super easy.)
- Carefully dip each apple into the melted caramel, turning and twisting to coat the apple on all sides.
- Next, place the caramel-coated apples onto the parchment lined pans or drip sheets. Place the apples into the fridge for several minutes to give the caramel time to set.
- Melt the chocolate included in the Chocoley Kit according to package directions. Remove the caramel apples from the refrigerator and decorate as desired.
- Return to the refrigerator until time to package or serve. Bag and tag the apples as desired.
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