Honeycrisp Apples à la Delicious

The first time I bit into a honeycrisp apple, it was, well, love at first bite. The crunchy sweetness was nothing I’d had before and I am, honestly hooked for life.

There's a ton of things you can do with the honeycrisp besides bite into it and allow the juices to run down your face. Here are some of my favorite, and not-so time consuming options.

Chicken Salad

My youngest granddaughter's all-time favorite (and I mean she would literally live on it) is my chicken salad. Most three-year-olds don’t like ranch dressing, but she would swim in it if she could. With the ability to buy honeycrisp apples year round in the grocery store, she has her favorite meal at least once a week.

The salad ingredients are simple: grilled chicken breast, apple chunks, red grapes (and yes, I cut them in two because I’m freaked out about choking), Craisins, sliced Persian cucumbers (available at Trader Joe’s) and bite size chunks of cheese. Toss all ingredients with Uncle Dan’s ranch dressing – and you’ve got a mouth full of yum.

Caramel Apples

You can’t go wrong with a caramel apple. My favorite spot to purchase this treat is at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Their endless variety of caramel apples made it just about impossible to make a choice. My go-to was always one that had a thick layer of caramel, dipped or swirled with chocolate and rolled in nuts.

If you aren’t near a candy store that sells these delightful treats, no worries. Caramel apples are super easy to make. You can go the full scratch method, do semi-homemade, or if you’re super busy, just make them quick and easy.

Michele's favorite caramel is Peter's Caramel -- its smooth, creamy texture adds a decadent touch to your finished product, and is absolutely delicious!

Just melt the caramel in a double boiler over hot water. Once the caramel is smooth, dip the apples. Let them cool a bit, then roll in nuts. Spin a layer of chocolate over it and boom, you have a party in your mouth!

If you’re not into decadence, then you have a couple options.

I used Kraft caramels when my girls were growing up.

Place a bag full of caramels with two tablespoons of water in a double boiler and stir until the caramels are melted and you have a smooth mixture.

Take the pan off the hot burner and keep the sauce over the hot water. Place each apple (make sure they are dry!) in the hot caramel and swirl or spoon the sauce over the apple until it’s completely covered. Place on a sheet of parchment or wax paper and insert the stick in the top. Pop it in the refrigerator to chill until the caramel is firm.

For a truly quick and easy method, use a caramel apple wrap. Just remember the wraps won’t work on a really big apple, so select small to medium sized for best fit.

Make sure your apples are clean and dry before you begin. Place the wrapper over the apple and stretch to cover. Poke the stick in the top of the apple. Put the apples in an oven preheated to 250 degrees and cook for about five minutes. Remove from oven, cool and enjoy.

Whatever method you use, it's all relative. Just make sure you add love and share the final product!

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