Chocolate, Caramel

Poisoned Apples

Sweet & tart apples, spiked with whiskey soaked cherries then dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with cherries and smoky almonds, finished with a buttery caramel sauce & flaky sea salt.

What You'll Need

Mason jar with lid
Vegetable peeler
Fruit corer tool
Apple branches or preferred food-safe sticks
Candy thermometer

Ingredients

1½ cups dried cherries (divided: 1 cup for soaking and ½ cup for chopping)
Whiskey, rum, or brandy, enough to cover the soaking cherries
1 cup smoked almonds (Blue Diamond Smokehouse)
8–10 Pink Lady apples
10 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers (Ghirardelli)

Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons corn syrup
⅓ cup heavy cream
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1–2 pinches sea salt
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Directions

Step 1: Soak the Cherries
Place 1 cup dried cherries in a jar, cover with your chosen liquor, and close the lid. Soak overnight or for 1–2 days. For a quicker option, place the cherries and liquor in a microwave-safe bowl and heat briefly until the cherries plump.

Prep time: Approximately 30 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 15–20 minutes
Assembly time: Approximately 30–40 minutes
Cooling and setting time: Approximately 30–45 minutes
Total time, excluding cherry soaking: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes–2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 8–10 caramel apples

Step 2: Prepare the Topping
Pulse the remaining ½ cup cherries in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the almonds and pulse until chopped small, but not too finely.

Step 3: Remove the Apple Wax
Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil. Dip each apple for 10 seconds, remove with a spider strainer or similar utensil, and rub off the wax with paper towels. Dry thoroughly.

Step 4: Make the Holes
Refer to the tutorial photos below. Using a corer or vegetable peeler, press and twist into the side of each apple. Carefully scrape out the cut section without breaking or cracking the apple. Make the opening large enough to fit a soaked cherry flush with the surface. Repeat to make four holes around each apple.

Step 5: Fill the Apples
Press soaked cherries into the holes, keeping them flush with the apple’s surface. If desired, carefully deepen the holes toward the core to fit two cherries in each.

Step 6: Melt the Chocolate and Coat
Place the chocolate wafers in a glass bowl suitable for the heating method and melt according to the package directions. Insert food-safe sticks into the apples, then dip the apples in chocolate, covering the cherry-filled openings. Sprinkle with the chopped cherries and almonds while the chocolate is still wet.

Step 7: Chill the Apples
Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

Step 8: Start the Caramel
Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a 3–4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat to high and boil without stirring until pale amber. Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a separate saucepan.

Step 9: Add the Cream
Remove the caramel from the heat. Carefully and gradually stir in the hot cream—the mixture will bubble vigorously.

Step 10: Add the Butter and Cook
Stir in the butter, return the saucepan to medium heat, and cook until a candy thermometer reads 240°F.

Step 11: Cool the Caramel
Pour the caramel into a heatproof glass bowl. Stir in the vanilla and 1–2 pinches of sea salt, to taste. Let cool slightly until thickened but still spoonable before adding it to the chocolate-coated apples.

Step 12: Finish the Apples
Spoon the caramel over the chilled apples and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Refrigerate until set.

Make-Ahead Note: Prepare the apples the day of serving or no more than one day ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated.