Directions

1. Place sugar, butter, cream, corn syrup, molasses, vanilla, and salt in a thick-bottomed 3-4 quart saucepan. Heat on medium to medium low heat and stir slowly with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
2. Let the caramel mixture come to a rolling boil, adjusting the heat to prevent the caramel from boiling over. Continue to stir in a slow figure-eight pattern with a wooden spoon. When the temperature of the mixture reaches 240°F (after about 15 minutes or so of boiling), remove from heat and pour into a metal bowl.

Let the hot caramel mixture sit in the bowl until the temperature cools to just below 200°F

3. While the caramel sauce is cooking and cooling, line a baking sheet with buttered aluminum foil. Insert the sticks into the center of the apples through the stem end.
4. When the caramel sauce has cooled sufficiently, working one at a time, dip the apples into the sauce. Swirl each apple around in the sauce to completely coat the apple, except for the very top near the stick.

Pull the apple up from the sauce and let the excess caramel gently drip back into the bowl.

Place the coated apple onto the lined baking sheet. Some caramel sauce will form a little pool at the base of each apple. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5. Once the caramel has chilled a few minutes, remove from the refrigerator and press the caramel that has pooled at the bottom of the apples up against the side of the apples.