Caramel apples are a Halloween staple. These treats combine healthy apples with the sugary goodness of caramel, some with nuts and chocolate for additional layers of flavor. Of course, if you've made a delicious batch of caramel apples but don't expect guests for a few hours (or few days) you will want to take all the possible precautions to preserve the apples.
Tin Foil
If you made your caramel apples in the morning and expect guests in the evening, you will want to protect the treat from elements which might cling to the sticky caramel such as dust, hair or even flies. If you only have a few hours, putting them in the refrigerator is not recommended because they will harden and you will most likely not have enough time to soften them up. Instead, cover them with tin foil. This will protect the caramel apples from the dirt and debris while not heavily sticking to the caramel (which is what plastic wrap would do). Keep covered until your guests arrive.
Refrigerate
After your party you may find yourself with several caramel apples left. You won't want to leave them out overnight, because the apples will begin to grow soft and eventually overly ripe. To prevent this you will need to keep them cold and limit the air flow around the apples. This time you will want to cover the tray of candy apples with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge. Because the caramel will harden in the refrigerator, it will not be overly sticky, which will keep the caramel apples from clinging to the wrap. This is a great way to preserve your snack for a few days. Remove the apples from the fridge a few hours before snacking. This will allow the caramel time to slightly soften.
Freezer
If you made too many caramel apples and know you won't finish them before the apples go bad, you will want to freeze them. This will prevent the fruit from aging. In this case you will need to use individual resealable plastic baggies for each apple. This will keep air from touching the caramel apples when they are in the freezer. If air touches the caramel it will become freezer burned, which ultimately may ruin the apple.
Make sure to give the apples plenty of time to thaw after you remove them from the freezer. If you pull them out in the morning, by dinner time they will be back to room temperature and ready for devouring.
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