Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple Slices – Gluten Free, Vegan

Nothing quite says Fall like Caramel Apples! These Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple Slices are a delicious take on traditional caramel apples. They are gluten free, vegan, and taste incredible!

Caramel apples have been one of my FAVORITE Fall treats since I was little.

Apples and caramel are one of the most magical flavor combinations out there. Right next to chocolate and peanut butter of course!

Growing up, getting to have a caramel apple in the Fall was such a special treat for me.

My husband also mentioned how exciting having caramel apples in the Fall was for him so I knew it was something I wanted my kids to be able to enjoy.

After finding out about all my food allergies, I wasn’t so sure I was going to be able to make caramel apples to enjoy with my kids.

Dairy was out and I didn’t know of any substitution for caramels that was dairy free.

I of course tried making my own dairy free caramel many times, but the consistency was never right for caramel apples.

I will have to share my recipe for dairy free caramel sauce with you all because that one I’ve got mastered!

It wasn’t until I discovered Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels that I realized caramel apples might still be a possibility. I was SO excited!

The Cocomels of course taste amazing right out of the package, but my real interest in them was to see if I could melt them to use in recipes.

The first recipe I decided to make with these dairy free caramels was my Coconut Caramel “Twix” Cookie recipe.

The caramel worked PERFECTLY for these cookies and I could not wait to try to make caramel apples with them.

So I started doing some research on how to make traditional caramel apples and came across a recipe for chocolate covered caramel apple slices.

I thought this was a genius idea because traditional caramel apples are so messy and the caramel to apple ratio always seemed to be off.

So I made them using my gluten free and dairy free substitutes and they turned out AMAZING!

They tastes just like traditional caramel apples, but they also have the layer of chocolate which adds something to the caramel apples that I didn’t know was missing.

They are just SO good!

These caramel apples are also super easy to make which is always a plus.

So let’s talk about how to make these gluten free and dairy free chocolate covered free caramel apple slices!

GLUTEN FREE AND VEGAN CARAMEL APPLE SLICES RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

• Large apples: I like to use gala or Fuji apples for this recipe, but you can also use green apples if you like them a little bit sour.
• Vegan chocolate chips: I use “Enjoy Life” brand semi sweet or dark chocolate
• Cocomels vegan caramels 
• Dairy free milk of choice: I use “So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk”
• Topping options: sprinkles, chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips

HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE VEGAN CARAMEL APPLE SLICES:

1. Prepare apples: Slice apples into 3/4″ thick slices and remove the stem and any seeds.  You should get about 4 per apple.
2. Add a lollipop stick: Carefully insert a lollipop stick into the bottom of the apple slices.
3. Pat dry: Use a paper towel to remove any extra juice from the apples.  Place the apples on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
4. Melt vegan chocolate: Pour 3/4 of the bag of vegan chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave the chocolate chips in 30 second increments, stirring between each time, until the chocolate chips are melted.
5. Dip in chocolate: Dip the apple slices in the chocolate and place on the sheet tray lined with parchment paper.  Put the chocolate covered apples in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has firmed up.
6. Melt vegan caramels: Unwrap caramels and place them in a microwave safe bowl with 1/2 tbsp of dairy free milk.  Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring between each time, until the caramels are completely melted.
7. Let the caramel cool: Let the caramel sit and cool for 5 minutes.  Once the caramel is cool enough to touch and has thickened up, get the chocolate covered apples out of the refrigerator.* 
8. Drizzle caramel over apples: Drizzle caramel over all of the chocolate covered apple slices. Optionally add any toppings to the apples.
9. Store: in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

TIPS FOR MAKING GLUTEN FREE AND VEGAN CARAMEL APPLE SLICES:

• Make sure you cut the apples at least 3/4″ thick so that the lollipop stick can go through without breaking the apple slices.
• Use a paper towel to pat the apple slices dry. If the apple slices are too wet then the chocolate will not stick to them.
• Make sure the caramel has cooled to the touch and thickened up a bit before you add the caramel to the apples. If the caramel is too hot, it will melt the chocolate. If the caramel is too thick, then it will be too hard to drizzle over the apples. Letting the caramel cool for about 5 minutes has worked well for me.
• Refrigerate the apple slices once they are covered in chocolate until the caramel is ready to drizzle. The colder the apples are, the less likely they are the melt when the warm caramel is added.
• Don’t try to just coat the apple slices in the caramel. The chocolate layer is important because the caramel will just slide right off of the apple slices without it.

♥ Don’t forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below if you give this recipe a try! ♥

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LOOKING FOR MORE VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE FALL RECIPES? CHECK OUT SOME OF MY FAVORITES BELOW!

Coconut Caramel “Twix” Cookies

Pumpkin Donuts

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