Butterscotch Dipped Apples

Nothing says Fall better than biting into a fresh locally grown apple. 

Nothing says Fall better than biting into a fresh locally grown apple dripping with butterscotch.

My apples of choice are Jonagold from Bobwhite Acres in Coopersburg.  They are crisp and juicy with a more sour than sweet taste.  Perfect for complimenting sweet butterscotch.

Let's get butterscotching....

Place a stick of unsalted butter in your heaviest soup pot....the thickness of the pot will make it less likely to burn the butter and sugar....Nowhere else in life would a heavy bottom be so appreciated. 

 

 Melt the butter over low heat until the butter is almost melted.

Now add 1 cup each of dark brown sugar and light brown sugar.

Stir with a wooden spoon, then add a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Sounds odd doesn't it?  Lemon juice in butterscotch? This is to prevent sugar crystals from forming.  No one likes a gritty butterscotch.

Crank up the heat to medium and stir every now and again until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot and syrupy....Turn off the heat and add 1 1/2 cups of cream.  This is where things get good........the cream will sputter and bubble up.......like a science experiment gone awry.......Now whisk the cream and sugar into smooth submission.

Return the butterscotch to medium heat.  At this point I place the lid on the pot for a few minutes to wash down any unmelted sugar from the side of the pot. 

Remove the lid and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes....but whatever you do....do not stir.

The butterscotch will look more like a sauce than something that will cling to an apple....but it will thicken as it cools.  Transfer the butterscotch to a bowl. 

After 10 minutes, add a few teaspoons of vanilla.  Let the butterscotch stand for another 10- 20 minutes or until it looks like this dreamy concoction....

Time for some apple dipping.

Place the dipped apples on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. They are delicious as is.....or you can sprinkle the apples with toffee pieces or toasted pecans.....I sprinkled one lone apple with sea salt.  It was divine. 

The remaining 9 apples were devoured by the gaggle of neighborhood children led to my kitchen by the pied piper of after-school snacks...my son...the little one with the big voice.  

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