It’s time to get on the TikTok trend and try these Caramel Apple Bites this season. Simple to assemble with mini pretzels, caramels, and apple pieces, these tasty fall treats are an easy, sweet, and salty snack on a stick. Great for a party or an after-school snack!
Taste why they go crazy on Facebook and Pinterest every time I post them!
Our Caramel Apple Bites recipe makes snacking on something sweet and salty so simple. A bite-sized snack on a stick is much easier to eat than a whole candy coated apple. But what’s even better is that it costs a fraction of the price of the classic carnival food and won’t make a mess on your face!
Biting into big caramel apples can be pretty cumbersome and sticky, but when you turn it into a mini apple pretzel dessert, you can pop them in your mouth without breaking a tooth.
Perfect for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving desserts, fall celebrations, or serving as a semi-healthy snack (perfect for an after school snack), these apple caramel bites bring a salty-sweet crunch in a 3-ingredient package.
Ingredients Notes
- Mini pretzels: Mini twist or pretzel snaps work best for this recipe. Be sure the pretzels are small, like square pretzel snaps or mini twists, to help with the pretzel to caramel ratio! You can even use gluten-free pretzels if you have a gluten sensitivity.
- Kraft Caramels: Square caramels have the expected soft, chewy, stuck-in-your-teeth texture. Caramel bits also have a chewy texture, but they’re not sticky. Choose whichever you prefer to cover the pretzels or make your own homemade caramels. For a chocolate caramel combination, Rolos work well, too!
- Green or red apple: I love using crispy tart Granny Smith apples for this caramel pretzel bites recipe because they pair perfectly with sweet caramel. However, use a soft, sweet apple if you prefer the flavor combination. Some ideas include Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Gala, and Fuji. Or make a variety of bites using both green apples and red apples!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Caramel Apple Bites
- Prepare The Pretzels: Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet and place one caramel in the middle of each.
- Bake: Bake at 250 degrees fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
- Prepare The Produce: Clean, dry, core, and chop the apples into 1-1 ½ inch pieces.
- Assemble: Push a toothpick through the top of each apple piece, peel side facing up or facing out. Press the bottom of the toothpick into the top of each caramel so that it flattens out to cover most of the pretzel.
- Serve: Rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Caramel apple bites are a great grab-n-go snack. They are perfect for fall gatherings, placing on a party tray, seasonal celebrations, and enjoying as a delicious dessert.
Tips & Variations
- Prepare The Pan: To prevent sticking, line your pan with parchment paper. The pan will be hot when adding the apple pieces to the bites, so be careful during this step.
- Prevent Browning Produce: To help to prevent the apple pieces from browning, you can store them in a bowl of water or sprite or brush the exposed apple with a bit of lemon juice or lime juice. If you store your apple pieces in liquid, be sure they are completely dry before use, or they will not stick to the caramels.
- Prepare Other Pretzels Bites: You can replace the caramel with other kinds of candy and chocolate. Check out my Rolo pretzels, M&M Pretzel Hugs, and peanut butter pretzel bites recipes for ideas and inspiration.
- Serve As Slices: What better way to prepare a possibly messy treat than by making it more portable? You can prepare my caramel apple slices and on lollipops or popsicle sticks and hand them out like lollipops.
Proper Storage
- To Store: I do not suggest storing these caramel apple bites with pretzels. They are best if eaten when assembled.
Other Easy Caramel Apple Desserts
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Caramel Apple Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 38 Pretzels mini twist or snap style
- 1 Bag Kraft Caramels
- 1 Green Apple
- 1 Red Apple
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit.
- Line a 9×13 baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Line the pretzels up on the baking sheet, giving them just a bit of room in between each other.38 Pretzels
- Unwrap the caramels and place one in the middle of each pretzel.1 Bag Kraft Caramels
- Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.
- While the pretzels are baking, clean, dry, core, and chop your apples into 1-1 ½ inch pieces. Do not peel. Store in a bowl of water or sprite to keep the apples from turning brown before you use them, if desired. (If you store your apple pieces in liquid, be sure they are completely dry before use, or they will not stick to the caramels.)1 Green Apple, 1 Red Apple
- As soon as the pretzels are out of the oven, slip a toothpick into the top middle of each apple piece, with the peel side facing up or out. Let the toothpick come out the bottom of the apple piece by just a little bit, so it can connect with the caramel.
- Press the toothpick and apple piece into the top middle of each caramel, making sure it flattens out a bit to cover more of the pretzel.
- Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
- To prevent sticking, line your pan with parchment paper. The pan will be hot when adding the apple pieces to the bites, so be careful during this step.
- To help to prevent the apple pieces from browning, you can store them in a bowl of water or sprite or brush the exposed apple with a little lemon juice or lime juice. If you store your apple pieces in liquid, be sure they are completely dry before use, or they will not stick to the caramels.
Would the Carmel apple pretzel bites last and be good for an hour or two?
how do you keep the apple from turning brown once they are on the toothpick & rest of ingredients ? If I soak in water/sprite & then dry before assembling as suggested , will that keep them changing color after being assembled? Thanks
Made these as a back-to-school treat and my staff Loved them! So easy to make.