An old fashioned Caramel Apple on a Stick – I remember how much I loved to eat them when I was kid. I didn’t care if they were too messy or sticky, I ate them anyway and was usually a mess when I finished.
I made this dessert by accident one day when I had an appetite for something sweet and discovered that the only fruit I had in the house was a Granny Smith green apple.
This is actually a fairly healthy dessert when you use frozen yogurt instead of ice cream and use just a small bit of the caramel.
I discovered that Stonyfield Farm, the makers of a remarkable organic yogurt, churn a frozen yogurt that actually tastes delicious. They have great flavors like Raspberry White Chocolate Chunk, Gotta Have Vanilla, Javalanche, and Vanilla Fudge Swirl. One serving has 130 calories, 1.5g of fat, and less than 5 mg of cholesterol. Ice cream has 250 cals, 14g of fat, and 55mg of cholesterol.
I know, being the ice cream lover that I am, these is no substitution for “real” ice cream but when trying to adopt a healthier life style, this frozen yogurt comes pretty close and has no peculiar taste like some of the other frozen yogurt brands out there.
Bon Appetit!
1 bowl frozen vanilla yogurt
3-6 slices Granny Smith apple
1/8 cup caramel sauce
Dollop of whipped cream (optional)
If you really want to make this an extra special treat, here is an easy homemade caramel sauce that is so much better than the brands that you buy in the grocery:
Caramel Sauce
3/8 of a cup plus 1 Tbls of plain white granulated sugar
1/8 of a cup plus 1 Tbls of light corn syrup
1/8 of a cup of water
¾ cup of warmed whipping cream (heavy cream)
1 Tbls of softened butter
Combine the corn syrup, the sugar and the water in a small sauce pan.
Bring this mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and then adjust the heat so it will simmer unattended on its own, without you needing to stir. Let it simmer for about a half an hour.
Take it off the heat and slowly whisk in the cream. You have to be a little attentive here as the hot caramel can bubble and sputter a bit. Once the cream is in, whisk in the butter. If it hardens up as you are adding the cream, just return it to the heat and give it a quick stir, stirring until the caramel again melts.