Take Caramel Apples Up A Notch With Peanut Butter Cups

The changing leaves and the crisp breeze in the air signal one of the best culinary times of the year. Autumnal foods are rich and warm, with a spiced, full-bodied flavor that's found in caramelized squash, nutty maple, or fragrant cinnamon. Among our favorite fall treats are caramel apples. Although the snack appears simple – an apple dipped into caramel – the buttery flavor of caramel melting into a juicy, tangy apple is heavenly.

While the two-ingredient combination has never failed to please, toppings are like icing on an already stellar cake. Chopped nuts are a classic, and one of the best toppings for caramel apples, but peanut butter cups offer the same nutty flavor with a bolder taste. The candy is the perfect combination of sweet and salty. When frozen and smashed into bits, it gives caramel apples a hint of mouth-watering savory taste. Read ahead to see how to make caramel apples with peanut butter cups.

Peanut butter cups tend to have a soft center that easily smushs, so it's best to freeze them before smashing the treat into bits. With the candy in the freezer, remove the stems from the apples and replace them with skewers. Wash the wax off the apples by wiping them down with apple cider vinegar.

Take soft caramel candy and melt it in the microwave; dip the apples inside and rotate them to evenly cover the apple. Place them on a foil-lined baking pan and set them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. While the caramel is sitting on the apples, melt chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stovetop using low heat.

Remove the peanut butter cups from the freezer and place them in a plastic bag, using a rolling pin to crush them. You can also put it in a food processor to give them a fine texture. Dip the apples into the melted chocolate and roll them around in the crushed peanut butter cups. Place them back in the fridge for an additional 15 minutes then enjoy.