Apple Crowns are basically Apple Slices with Caramel, a fun mash-up of caramel apples and ice cream sundaes. They are easier to eat and simple to share, a sweet treat built around nature’s candy.
Serve Apple Slices with Caramel for a fun New Year’s Eve With Kids or a celebratory Healthy Cheap Snacks for Kids. No matter how you slice an apple, this is a great way to enjoy them!
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Apple Crowns, a simple alternative to caramel apples, are one of the easiest desserts or sweet snacks you can make. Basically apple slices with caramel, they feel a little bit fancy to a kid, almost like an ice cream sundae built on an apple.
Crisp fall apples, sliced and doused with caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry are a fabulous snack or dessert to indulge in!
Why Make This
It’s easy! Apple slices with caramel are so much easier to make than traditional caramel apples and so much more fun to eat! They are delicious with Maple Whipped Cream.
Apple slices with caramel are a good cheap eat. Buy your apples on sale and use your favorite caramel sauce to top them with. It’s an easy dessert for less than a dollar per person!
Everyone loves apple slices with caramel! Talk about an easy dessert to keep as a back-up plan. You’ll be ready for an impromptu, no-bake dessert any day or night!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to serve apple slices with caramel:
apples – Choose your favorite apples, keeping in mind that tart apple slices go best with the sweet caramel. You can also serve pears and bananas as other fruit options.
caramel sauce – You can use commercial caramel sauce or make your own caramel, depending on how much time you have. Use the leftover caramel on Salted Caramel Affogatos or Sparkling Apple Cider Floats.
whipped cream – Whipped cream is a must-have on apple slices with caramel. Make your own if you can as it tastes better, holds up longer, and you can control the level of sweetness. I love Maple Whipped Cream to serve with apples.
nuts – Top your apples slices and caramel with whipped cream and nuts for a more sundae-like experience. Any nuts you have are fine, but chopped pecans and walnuts taste the best. If you’re avoiding nuts for any reason, you can use chopped dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, or apricots) or a favorite seed like sunflower or pepitas.
maraschino cherries – Caramel apple slices with a cherry on top?! Yes, please. Use jarred maraschino cherries or fresh cherries if they’re in season. Both will be delicious.
Step-by-Step Instructions
It’s super easy to assemble apple slices with caramel for a fun dessert!
- Slice each apple and place the apple slices in a circle on each of four serving dishes. Remember there are lots of ways to slice an apple. You don’t have to have a hand-held slicer.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce around the apple slices. Place the whipped cream in the center.
- Sprinkle the nuts over all.
- Top each with a cherry.
FAQs & Recipe Costs
Caramel apples are best with sweet-tart apples to counteract the sweet of the caramel. Granny Smith, Cripps Pink, McIntosh, Jazz, and Piñata are all good options.
If you can buy a variety of apples at once, it’s really fun to do an apple tasting. They really do vary quite a bit!
Choose firm and unblemished apples. They should smell fresh. Avoid bruised apples or those that have an alcoholic odor.
Apples can last for months under proper storage. Store your apples in a cool, dry place, preferably in a fridge drawer all by themselves.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- apples – $2.00
- caramel sauce – $0.15
- whipped cream – $0.25
- nuts – $0.15
- maraschino cherries – $0.28
While your costs may vary depending on where and how you shop, you can expect to pay about $0.71/serving for apple slices with caramel.
To make this recipe more economical:
Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Fall is your best time to find best selection, freshness, and price on apples, though it’s true you can buy apples all year-round. My target price on apples is $1/pound, though I will go as high as $1.50 if they are organic. Watch for sales and stock up.
However, you can watch for sales year-round for things like caramel sauce, nuts, and maraschino cherries. Stock up when you see a sale and store those items for when you want apple slices with caramel.
Apple Slices with Caramel
Ingredients
- 4 apple cored and sliced
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- 1/2 cup maple whipped cream
- 4 tsp chopped nuts optional
- 4 maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Slice each apple and place the apple slices in a circle on each of four serving dishes. If you use an apple slicer (the kind that cuts it into wedges and removes the core), you can slice it right on the plate, remove the core and proceed.
- Drizzle the caramel sauce around the apple slices. Place the whipped cream in the center.
- Sprinkle the nuts over all.
- Top each with a cherry.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 12, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
sona
I would love to have an apple peeler and bought one from Amazon with hundreds of positive reviews. It peels/slices the first half of the apple then sort of smash/breaks the last half. Any apple peelers out there that finishes the whole apple. Want to make apple butter plus some of your other suggestions. Thanks for any help.
Jessica Fisher
Oh bummer. Mine came from Pampered Chef almost 25 years ago. Maybe they don’t make them like they used to? It is a little finicky with the size of the apple. Too big and it won’t work.
Brooke Kingston
We make these every Autumn because of your post. Love this recipe, my kids can’t get enough ??
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad to hear it’s a fun tradition at your house!
Angela
My friend is giving me apples! Can’t wait to try these!
Frances
Yummy things and so pretty too. Thanks for sharing.
Sue R.
Oh, my! I love this idea! We will have these tonight during the Patriots game. I make my own caramel, but the TJ’s one sounds delicious. Thanks for another fabulous idea!
Kathy
Good idea. Weight Watchers can use Redi Whip and. Make it very low Points Plus 🙂
Annie Kate
We do something similar with apples and coconut peanut butter dip. I won’t show my kids this picture, though, because I think they would prefer this sweeter variety.