Easy Kid's Fun With Chocolate Dipped Apples

Chocolate dipped apples are a fun and easy make at home treat for any time of year, but they're especially popular at Halloween.

Toffee apples may be a more traditional Irish Halloween treat, but chocolate dipped apples are even simpler to make, and a great way to entertain and involve kids with a simple, yet delicious activity.

This is one of my favorite Halloween recipes to make with children, since there's no need for messy candy thermometers and watching temperatures to get the perfect sticky toffee consistency required for toffee apples.

And in 2020, make at home, easy fun is all important for a safe and healthy Halloween.

Enjoy this inspirational, Halloween, how-to post for children, to help stir a little creativity this year.

Simply melt some chocolate, coat the apples and dip into your favorite decorative and tasty toppings. These apples really are that easy. They hardly deserve the title recipe. As my granny would say, "sure that's so simple, it's hardly a recipe, at all, at all."

Whether or not you deem this to be a real recipe, it's still a fun family activity. Get creative and let your imagination loose as you choose your flavor and topping combinations for your own personal chocolate apples. Here's a quick guide to help you plan.

 

Suggestions for Topping Combinations:

 

This blog post photo shoot features milk chocolate dipped apples decorated with crushed peanuts and multicolored button shaped candies, such as M and M's or Smarties.

But always remember, the topping choices are all yours.

First, pick the type and color of chocolate that tickles your fancy. Here are some ideas.

• dark chocolate
• milk chocolate
• white chocolate
• drizzled and swirled dark and white chocolate combos
• colored chocolate melts
• orange infused chocolate

Once you've coated your apple in chocolate the fun truly begins. Dipping the hot melted and sticky chocolate in crushed toppings is ever so satisfying.

Here are some ideas for creative toppings.

• crushed peanuts
• chocolate candy
• desiccated coconut
• crushed macadamia nuts with white chocolate
• crushed cashew nuts
• crushed almonds with dark or milk chocolate
• jelly tots or dolly mixtures (Irish candies)
• bacon bits combined with dark chocolate coating
• mini marshmallows
• decorative sprinkles or hundreds and thousands
• stars and fireworks style sprinkles

 

Here's my recipe and tutorial for these delicious apples.

 

Ingredients:

 

• Apples  
• Lollipop sticks or wooden craft sticks  
• Melting Chocolate  
• Chopped Peanuts and/or M&M’S  

 

Directions:

 

First the apples need to be secured on a stick for easy eating. Wooden craft sticks or lollipop sticks work great.

Push them well down through the core of the apples, to make sure the apples won't wobble and fall off the stick while being held upright.

Chop the peanuts to the consistency and size desired, and place them in a bowl.

Place the M and M's or whichever topping you have chosen, into another bowl.

Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan half filled with hot water and simmering over a medium high burner.

Carefully transfer the melted chocolate to a shallow bowl, being careful not to burn your finger tips. Children need assistance or supervision with this step to keep them safe.

Take the apples, one at a time, and dip them into the melted chocolate.

Turn each apple in the chocolate to completely coat the bottom half of the apple surface in chocolate.

Try to create a sharp un-smudged line of chocolate in the middle of the apple.

The contrast between the brown of the chocolate and the rich green apple skin is best appreciated when the chocolate coating is even.

Next, the real fun begins.

It's time to decorate the apples with the toppings.

While the chocolate is still warm and slightly melted, dip the apples in to the topping bowls.

Gently move them around in the bowls to get an even decorative coating.

Place on a sheet of waxed paper or a cool surface to set.

Allow the apples to set at room temperature before serving.

And remember, stick to chocolate candy if anyone for whom you're making these treats has an allergy to nuts.

Here's the printable recipe, if you'd like to add this activity to your kitchen files.

I hope you have fun with this recipe.

May this year's Halloween festivities be safe, be full of fun, and spark your imagination and creativity.

Happy apple dipping!

 

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

Here are some more recipes and ramblings you might enjoy...

The Irish History of the Jack O' Lantern

Colcannon - An Irish Halloween Tradition

Halloween - The Irish Connection