Halloween Traditions Countdown #3

Our favorite Halloween treat to indulge in is the famous Caramel Apple! They're a total mess of fun, super-duper sugar highs, and a few cavities, but so worth the gooey fight. Here's our favorite.....

Peanut Butter Crunch Apples

(I've been doing this one since I was a kid)

• 6 Granny Smith apples
• 6 wooden sticks
• Plastic spoons, glass plate, 2 bowls
  
• 14 ounce package individually wrapped caramels...make sure you unwrap them
  
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups of chopped Nutter Butter cookies
  
• 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped

First insert the wooden sticks just over 1/2 the way into the stem of each apple. Put apples on a cookie sheet covered wax paper or lightly-greased aluminum foil. Combine (unwrapped) caramels and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stir often, until caramel melts and is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Dip each apple into the caramel. I have found that rolling the apples around insides of pan helps to even out the caramel. Run the bottom of the apple along the inside edge of the pan to remove the extra caramel from the bottom. Spread the chopped cookies out on glass plate. Roll caramel apples in the cookies and place on the wax paper. Put the milk chocolate and white chocolate squares into their bowls (microwave-safe). Heat in the microwave at 20-30 second intervals, stirring until melted and smooth. Dip a plastic spoon into each of the chocolates and drizzle milk chocolate over the apples, then the white chocolate over the milk chocolate. Refrigerate.