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Chocolate Caramel Apple Pops Recipe (Fewer Calories Than A Whole Apple)

Chocolate Caramel Apple Pops Recipe
[1] Instead of a whole caramel or chocolate apple, have a slice (photo © Colavita).

Fuji Apples
[2] Fuji apples (photo © Good Eggs).

Chocolate Chips
[3] Dip the apple slices in melted chocolate (photo © Bella Baker).

Kraft Wrapped Caramels
[4] Melted caramels provide the “garnish,” along with pecans (photo © Candy Warehouse).

 

These Chocolate Caramel Apple Pops are a great alternative to chocolate or caramel apples. They give you all the flavor with just a slice of the calories.

This recipe, from Colavita, uses extra virgin olive oil instead of corn syrup.

> The history of caramel apples.

> The history of caramel.

> The history of apples.

> The history of chocolate.

> There are more caramel apple and candy apple recipes below.

September 25th is National Apple Day. October is National Apple Month.
 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE CARAMEL APPLE POPS

The apples are best on the first day, but you can store them in the fridge overnight.
 
Ingredients For 8 Apple Pops

  • 4 medium apples (Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith)
  • 3 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup caramels, coarsely chopped
  • Chopped pecans
  • Ice pop sticks
  • Parchment-lined baking sheet
  •  
    Preparation

    1. SLICE the apples into 1/2″ slices. You’ll be able to get about two slices per apple. With a knife make a little slit in the bottom of each apple slice and insert the ice pop stick into the slit.

    2. MELT the chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler. Keep it warm, and set it aside.

    3. MELT the caramels. Add the caramels and 3 tablespoons of water to a heat-proof bowl and melt them either in the microwave or over a double boiler. Set aside.

    4. STIR the olive oil into the melted chocolate and mix well. Dip the apple slices in chocolate, coating them on all sides. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    5. DRIZZLE the melted caramel over the chocolate and sprinkle with the nuts. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Serve and enjoy.
     
     
    MORE CARAMEL APPLE & CANDY APPLE RECIPES

  • Bourbon Caramel Apples
  • Caramel Apples With “Twig” Stems
  • Caramel Dip For Apples & Pears
  • Classic Red Candy Apples
  • Easter Candy Apples
  • Matcha White Chocolate Granny Smith Apples
  • Modern Art Chocolate Apples
  • No Sugar Added Caramel ApplesPopcorn Caramel Apples
  • Red Candy Apples
  • Red Hot Candy Apples
  • Sugar-Free Red Candy Apples
  •  

     
     

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    30 Scrumptious Mashed Potato Recipes For National Mashed Potato Day

    Spud lovers: October 18th is National Mashed Potato Day. We’ve assembled our collection of mashed potato recipes for this tater-licious occasion.

    In fact, it’s tough to decide which recipe to make first.

    Whether you’re looking for comfort food (a burger stuffed with mashed potatoes, photo #3), something fancy (causa morada purple mashed potato stacks), elegant (lobster mashed potatoes), or simply fabulous (rainbow mashed potatoes—photo #1), we’ve got these recipes and so much more.

    More potato celebrations: August 19th is National Potato Day, September is National Potato Month, and in 2019, the Idaho Potato Commission has declared that every fourth Thursday in November is National Mashed Idaho® Potato Day.

    > The history of potatoes.

    > The different types of potatoes.

    > The year’s 30 potato holidays.
     
     
    MORE MASHED POTATOES: 40+ MASHED POTATO RECIPES

  • Aloo Tiki Mashed Potato Burgers
  • Amaretto Mashed Sweet Potaotes
  • Baked Salmon With Mashed Yams
  • Beef & Mashed Potatoes Sundae
  • Beet Mashed Potatoes
  • Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
  • Causa Morada Peruvian Stacks
  • Corned Beef & Mashed Sweet Potato Tart
  • Dobladas (Stuffed Tortillas)
  • Flavored Mashed Potatoes: Substitute infused olive oil for the butter–basil oil, chile oil, garlic oil, rosemary oil, wasabi, etc.
  • Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  • Gluten-Free Lasagna
  • Grilled Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms With Mashed Potatoes & Bacon
  • Healthier Mashed Potatoes
  • Herbed Mashed Potato Parfaits
  • Holiday Mashed Potatoes: Mix-in theme-colored vegetable bits–chives or scallion stems for St. Patrick’s Day, crushed red pepper flakes or pimento for Valentine’s Day, etc.
  • Indian-Style Lasagna With Mashed Potatoes Instead Of Noodles
  • Lobster Mashed Potatoes
  • Lowfat Mashed Potatoes
  • Mashed Potato Donuts
  • Mashed Potato Martini
  • Mashed Potato Mummies For Halloween
  • Mashed Potato Pizza
  • Mashed Potato Party Bar
  • Mashed Potato Party Bar #2
  • Mashed Potato Stuffed Burgers
  • Mojito Mashed Sweet Potatoes
  • Nonfat Mashed Potatoes
  • Pommes Aligot: French Style With Gruyère
  • Potato Croquettes
  • Potato Smashers
  • Pumpkin Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
  • Purple Mashed Potatoes
  • Rainbow Mashed Potatoes: Beet & Dill; Kale, Spinach & Basil; Red Pepper & Carrot; Tomato & Basil; Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes
  • Savory Mashed Potato Waffles
  • Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes
  • Shepherd’s Pie With Chickpeas & Cumin
  • Spinach Mashed Potatoes
  • Spinach & Sunchoke Mashed Potatoes
  • Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
  •  
     
    Plus Some Variations:

  • Mashed Cauliflower
  • Mashed Sweet Potato & Apple Pizza
  • 7 Tips Fo Make Healthier Mashed Potatoes
  •  

     

    Rainbow Mashed Potatoes Recipe
    [1] Rainbow mashed potatoes. Here’s the recipe (photos #1 and #2 © Potato Goodness | Potatoes USA).

    Mashed Potato Party Bar
    [2] Mashed potato party bar. Here’s the recipe.

    Burger Stuffed With Mashed Potatoes Recipe
    [3] A burger stuffed with mashed potatoes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Idaho Potato Commisson).

    Bowl Of Spinach Mashed Potatoes
    [4] Spinach mashed potatoes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

    Pumpkin Cheddar Mashed Potatoes Recipe
    [5] Pumpkin cheddar mashed potatoes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

     

     
     

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    FOOD FUN: Pumpkin Cannoli Recipe

    Pumpkin Cannoli Recipe
    [1] Make pumpkin cannoli for harvest season (photo © Piccione Pastry).

    Drained Fresh Ricotta
    [2] Fresh ricotta draining in a strainer (photo © Jsix | SD).

    Libby Canned Pumpkin Puree
    [3] Buy pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling (photo © Libby’s).

     

    Cannoli are one of our favorite desserts. The marriage of the crunchy shell and the sweetened ricotta is all that we could ask for in a dessert or a snack. So how about a pumpkin cannoli recipe for seasonal sweet satisfaction?

    Food 101: In Italian, the singular form of the pastry is cannolo, and the plural is cannoli. In the U.S., some people use cannoli as the singular and cannolis as the plural. Both of these latter uses are Americanized.

    If you can’t find unfilled cannoli shells (we buy ours at a local Italian pastry shop), you can serve the cannoli cream with cookie thins, gingersnaps, Moravian cookies, rolled wafer cookies, waffle cookies, or these great cannoli chips. Check out our deconstructed cannoli.

    We also make “diet” cannoli cream, sweetening the ricotta with Splenda and skipping the cookies (you can, however, throw in a few chocolate chips).

    > September is National Cannoli Month.

    > The year’s 15 pastry holidays.

    > The history of cannoli.

    > The different types of pie and pastry: a photo glossary.

    > There are more cannoli recipes below.
     
     
    RECIPE: PUMPKIN CANNOLI

    For a more intense pumpkin flavor, use more pumpkin purée. You can use as much to achieve the same color as in photo #1.

    Consider serving the cannoli with pumpkin spice coffee.
     
    Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 to 1-1/2 cups pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
  • 8 to 10 cannoli shells
  • Optional: 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
  •  
    Preparation

    1. WRAP the ricotta in cheesecloth and place it in a sieve over a bowl. Let it drain for 24 hours in the fridge.

    2. PLACE the drained ricotta, pumpkin purée, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Stir with a whisk or a spatula to combine.

    3. PLACE the pumpkin mixture into a piping bag and fill the cannoli shells. Since the shells will begin to soften after they are filled, aim to fill them as close to serving time as possible, no more than 2-4 hours before serving.
     
     
    MORE CANNOLI RECIPES

  • Deconstructed Cannoli Recipe
  • Cannoli Pie Recipe
  • Pumpkin Cannoli (recipe above)
  • A Year Of Crazy Cannoli Flavors
  •  
    ________________

    *Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make it from individual ground spices. Combine 3 tablespoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, 1-1/2 teaspoons allspice, and 1-1/2 teaspoons cloves. Then measure out the 1 teaspoon you need for this recipe, and put the remainder in a tightly-capped container.

     
     

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    ELEGANT DESSERT: Pots & Co Upside-Down Pumpkin Pie

    Now there’s another reason to head to Costco: the “Upside Down Pumpkin Cream Pie” ramekins* from Pots & Co (photos #1 and #2).

    Portioned in small, reusable glass pots, this elegant dessert has seasoned graham cracker crumbs on top of creamy pumpkin custard.

    While pumpkin pie is itself a baked custard in a crust and the filling can be dense, here the custard is lighter and airier. It’s the perfect bite at the end of a meal when you want something sweet but not a lot of it.

    Each box contains four glass containers with three ounces of “pumpkin pie.” The graham cracker crumbs are packaged separately so you add them in their dry, crunchy state. (Think Yoplait or YoCrunch with the granola or Corn Flakes packaged separately on top of the container.)

    The “pie filling” is made with cream cheese, pumpkin puree, demerara and white sugars, eggs, and flour. The ingredients are all-natural (no preservatives).

    Each pot is a charming ridged glass ramekin.

    The glass ramekins are recyclable, but you can better put them to use when you need a ramekin—for other desserts, as salt cellars, for condiments, olives, olive pits, etc.

    We think Pots & Co should have a contest for the most creative repurposing.
     
     
    GET YOUR UPSIDE DOWN PUMPKIN CREAM PIE

    Upside Down Pumpkin Cream Pie is a limited-time flavor available at Costco. Here’s a store locator for other Pots & Co. products.
     
     
    WHAT ABOUT POTS DE CRÈME?

    Lovers of French cuisine may ask, “Aren’t these a variation of pots de crème?

    Pot de crème is one of the three types of French custard, along with crème brûlée and crème caramel (here’s the difference).

    A classic pot de crème is made from equal parts of cream and milk and more egg yolks (6 yolks per 2 cups of cream/milk), which make it a softer custard than the other two.

    You can reference the Pots & Co ingredients above, to see that while Upside Down Pumpkin Cream Pie may be a cousin, it’s perhaps a third or fourth cousin to real pumpkin pot de crème (photo #3).
     
     
    ABOUT POTS & CO

    Pots & Co is a London-based dessert company dedicated to using clean ingredients for its desserts, which are hand-crafted in small batches. Each variety is sold in reusable glass or ceramic pots (i.e. ramekins).

    Baking the desserts in pots ensures that they bake evenly and gives the final product a depth of flavor and texture unique to any other dessert within the store-bought dessert category.

    The company was founded in 2012 by a restaurant chef who saw the opportunity to create a line of restaurant-quality desserts for the home. It now has a global reach, selling millions of pots around the world.

    The recipes are developed by Michelin-star chefs and handcrafted in London.

    Now you can enjoy a bite of deliciousness at the end of a meal, and collect a set of ramekins with every package.

     

    Pots & Co. Upside Down Pumpkin Cream Pie
    [1] The bottom and top dishes are the Upside Down Pumpkin Pie, surrounded by cinnamon, nutmeg, and a nubmeg grater (photos #1 and #2 © Pots & Co).

    Pots & Co Upside Down Pumpkin Pie
    [2] The four-pack is currently selling for $10.89 at Costco (prices may vary by location).

    Pumpkin Pot De Creme With Candied Hazelnuts & Maple Chantilly
    [3] A ceramic ramekin of pumpkin pot de crème topped with caramelized hazelnuts and maple chantilly (whipped cream) at Kindred Restaurant in Davidson, North Carolina (photo © Kindred Restaurant).

     
    ________________

    *A ramekin is a small dish used for culinary purposes. In addition to food preparation, it is used to serve a variety of foods, including crème brûlée and other custards, French onion soup, molten chocolate cake, and mini soufflés, among many others.

     
     

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    FOOD FUN: Caramel Apple Float Recipe For Halloween

    Caramel Apple Float Recipe
    [1] For Halloween season, a caramel apple float (photo © Taste Of Home).

    Chocolate Milkshake
    [2] Use a squeeze bottle of syrup or dessert sauce to make stripes, zigzags, or other designs om the inside of a glass (photo © Jonathan Borba | Unsplash).

    A Bottle Of Torani Caramel Sauce
    [3] A squeeze bottle of caramel sauce makes it easy to decorate the inside of a glass or garnish a shake or sundae (photos #3 and #4 © Torani).

    Torani Caramel Sauce Drizzled Over Whipped Cream
    [4] Unleash your inner soda jerk.

     

    Here’s a fun snack: a caramel apple float (a.k.a. ice cream sodas) for the Halloween season (photo #1).

    Who doesn’t love vanilla ice cream with caramel or a caramel apple? Here, they’re combined in a float with a base of apple cider and ginger ale.

    > There are more caramel apple recipes below—plus candy apples and chocolate apples.

    > The history of candy apples and caramel apples.

    > The difference between buttercrunch, butterscotch, and caramel.

    > The difference between caramel and dulce de leche.

    > The difference between apple cider and apple juice.

    > The history of caramel apples.

    > The history of caramel.

    > The history of ice cream.

    > The history of ice cream sodas/floats.

    > The history of apples.

    October 31st is National Candy Apple Day, National Caramel Apple Day, and National Trick Or Treat For UNICEF Day.

    October is National Caramel Month.
     
     
    RECIPE: CARAMEL APPLE FLOAT

    Make the float even more fun by drizzling the caramel syrup around the inside of the glass before adding the apple cider and ginger ale.

    You can drizzle the syrup with a spoon, but a squeeze bottle is better. Try stripes (photo #2) or a zigzag pattern up and down the glass.

    The recipe was created by Cindy Reams of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, and sent to us by Taste Of Home.
     
    Ingredients For 2 Floats

  • 1 cup chilled apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 cup chilled ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon apple, caramel, or vanilla liqueur
  • 1 cup vanilla ice cream
  • 2 tablespoons caramel sundae syrup
  • Garnish: finely chopped peeled apple
  •  
    Preparation

    1. DIVIDE the cider and ginger ale between 2 glasses. Top each with ice cream.

    2. GARNISH: Drizzle with caramel syrup and top with the chopped apples.
     
     
    MORE CANDY APPLE, CHOCOLATE APPLE, &
    CARAMEL APPLE RECIPES

  • Apple Cider Salted Caramels
  • Apple “Jell-O” With Caramel Crème Fraîche
  • Bourbon Caramel Apples
  • Caramel Apple Martini
  • Caramel Apple Pie Cocktail
  • Caramel Apples With Lots Of Toppings
  • Classic Red Candy Apples
  • Easter Candy Apples
  • Matcha White Chocolate Granny Smith Apples
  • Modern Art Chocolate Apples
  • No Sugar Added Red Candy Apples
  • No Sugar Added Caramel Apples
  • Red Hots Candy Apples
  • Valentine Caramel Apples
  •  
    You can also host a candy apple party!

     

     
     

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