Caramel Apple Fondue: Easy and delicious dessert fondue recipe with lots of different toppings, and perfect for kids.
Caramel fondue is such a delicious treat. This easy recipe is quick to put together and so delicious. We've served ours with apples and given it a caramel apple twist. Apples and caramel are a match made in heaven. This caramel fondue is also great with any dessert dippers. Try using it with pound cake, any fresh fruit, cookies, marshmallows, even chocolate. And add some flaky sea salt to it for the perfect salted caramel fondue. The whole family will love this caramel fondue recipe. It's perfect for special occasions.
We had such a fun Fall Fondue Party on the weekend. We enjoyed Cheese Fondue, and then an oil fondue with chicken, and tempura vegetables, along with lots of fun dipping sauces. See all the fun details of the fall fondue party here. After that it was time for a delicious dessert and we chose a Caramel Apple Fondue. It's perfect for fall and one of those real crowd-pleasing desserts, perfect for a larger group.
My husband and my kids LOVE caramel apples, and I think this fondue version is even better than a traditional caramel apple, since it’s easy to eat, and you can try out all kinds of different toppings.
Making caramel from scratch can be very tricky. It's easy to burn as the mixture boils, or to have issues with the sugar recrystallizing. You also usually need a candy thermometer to make it. But this easy recipe uses condensed milk instead of whipping cream, and gets it's caramel flavor from the condensed milk along with the rich brown sugar and maple syrup. You don't have to worry about burning the sugars as you caramelize them. And this easy method makes a very delicious rich caramel fondue, similar to soft caramels. You're going to want to add this recipe to your recipe box.
Fondue Pot
Serve your fondue in a warm fondue pot. I highly recommend a fondue pot that has a ceramic bowl, inside the metal pot, where you can add water and create a double boiler to keep your fondue warm, without letting it burn on the bottom. You can also use a regular fondue pot, just keep your eye on it and stir it occasionally. Another option is a mini crock pot or slow cooker, or an electric heated fondue pot that you can control the temperature of, and keep it on low so it doesn't burn.
Salted Caramel
If you're a fan of salted caramel you can add some flaky sea salt over the top of the finished caramel sauce. Just sprinkle the finished fondue with about ½ teaspoon salt. This caramel has. very rich flavor and the salt is a great way to cut through the sweetness, and create that great salty sweet taste combo.
Apples
The caramel fondue is quite sweet, so a tangy apple like a granny smith variety is a great choice. We also had some honey crisp. We love how crisp and crunchy they are. Really any apple variety will be great for this fondue. You really can't go wrong with any fresh apples, they all make excellent dippers. One tip is to cut up your apples into slices for easy dipping and eating. To keep your apples from going brown, cut them just before serving, and dip them into a little lemon juice to help.Apples
?The caramel fondue is quite sweet, so a tangy apple like a granny smith variety is a great choice. We also had some honey crisp. We love how crisp and crunchy they are. Really any apple variety will be great for this fondue. You really can't go wrong with any fresh apples, they all make excellent dippers. One tip is to cut up your apples into slices for easy dipping and eating. To keep your apples from going brown, cut them just before serving, and dip them into a little lemon juice to help.
Toppings
One of the great pleasures of creating a caramel apple fondue is including some great toppings to sprinkle on top and give you lots of taste variations and a very decadent dessert. For our caramel apple fondue set up we used:
- coconut
- chocolate sprinkles
- rainbow sprinkles
- chopped walnuts
- mini chocolate chips
- chopped M&M’s
- popping candy.
The big kids and small kids loved trying all the different kinds of combinations and creating their own dessert plate. Every apple slice was a new adventure.
Other Dipper Options
We loved our caramel fondue served with apples and different toppings, but you can also serve this like a traditional chocolate fondue and dip bite-sized pieces of various dippers. Or for a large group, you can serve both a caramel fondue and a chocolate fondue and your guests can enjoy both together. Other dipper options include:
- angel food cake
- pound cake
- pretzels
- nuts
- fruit (strawberry, pineapple, banana, apples)
- marshmallows
- rice krispies
- Belgium waffles
This caramel fondue is sure to become one of your favourite new recipes. Whether you're serving it with apples, or other dippers.
Recipe
Caramel Apple Fondue
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ cup condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Put the butter in a heatproof bowl, set over a small saucepan of simmering water to create a double boiler and melt it.
- Add in the brown sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, water, condensed milk, and cinnamon. Stir the sugar mixture and cook until the fondue is smooth, and all the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour into fondue pot, and enjoy with your choice of dippers.
Nutrition
With homemade caramel apple fondue, life really is a party!
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
This sweet fondue is the perfect accompaniment to apples or other sweet dippers. It's such a favourite.
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
Hi Lynn, yes you can make this ahead of time and reheat it to serve. I would reheat it before adding it to the fondue pot, so it just has to keep it warm. Hope this helps.
Dannyelle
Lynn says
Can this be made ahead and then placed in the fondue pot when ready to serve?