Easy DIY Caramel Apple Bar Everyone Will Be Talking About

Nothing says fall quite like a caramel apple! But why settle for just one flavor when you can create a whole bar of them?

This DIY caramel apple bar is the perfect way to sweeten up your Thanksgiving, Halloween party, or cozy fall gathering. With crisp apples, gooey caramel, and endless toppings, it’s part activity, part dessert. And all fun!

Why This Caramel Apple Bar Is Awesome!

Easy setup and clean up

I love that this is so easy to do. Apples are easy to find (and I buy them anyway) and you can raid your pantry for things you already have. For example, I used the shredded coconut because it was already in there.

It’s also easy to set and clean up because everything is all on one board. After, just dump what’s leftover into Ziplock bags.

You start with something healthy

While there’s plenty of fun yummy stuff, your kids and guests are eating a bit of fiber with the apples too.

It’s easy to eat

Apple slices are so much easier than trying to eat a full caramel apple.

You get lots of flavors

Since the apples are sliced on this board, kids and adults get to try a variety of toppings.

It’s a super fun activity

Kids (and adults) have a blast dipping and trying. Taste testing is what makes this so fun! You can even have kids vote on their favorite combination using a notecard.

Below, you’ll find what I used for this diy caramel apple bar and more creative ideas too! I chose what I thought my kids would like best, but the sky is the limit on what you can choose!

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Supplies Needed

The only things you absolutely NEED to have for this fun board is:

• A board
• Apples: I used Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp (but you could use anything you want. Serving both green and red apples lets guests try both.)
• Caramel dip

Next, here’s what else I used on my diy caramel apple board:

• Lollipop sticks help you turn them into skewers for easier dipping. You can absolutely go without these too though.
• Chocolate melts – the Ghirardelli ones work best because they melt easily and don’t harden quickly. I did milk chocolate, but they also have white and dark options.
• Reeses Pieces
• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• Chocolate-covered raisins
• Chopped peanuts
• Crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
• Kind Granola

And here are lots of other fun ideas for what to use:

• Chocolate candies like M&Ms and Buncha Crunch candies
• Mini chocolate chips of any flavor
• Any nuts like chopped pecans or even chopped pistachios
• Crumbs of any kind like Oreo crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, or cookie crumbs
• Sprinkles of any kind
• Chopped up pieces of candy bars like Snickers, Twix, Heath Bars, Butterfingers, or even Reese’s
• Other coatings like peanut butter, Nutella, and cookie butter
• Other cereals like Fruity Pebbles, crushed up Fruit Loops, or even Golden Grahams
• Dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, or chopped dates

How to make a Caramel Apple Bar

1. Slice your apples and dip them in lemon juice and water. (You can also dip them in Sprite if you have it, but I don’t buy much pop, so I never do.) And if you know you’re going to devour this quickly, you can skip this step!
2. Get out your clean, blank board.
3. Place all of the toppings in a muffin tin or in individual bowls. Put your dippings into small bowls. (Because you’re melting them, you’ll want to wait until the last minute to set them out)
4. Put your apple slices and lollipop sticks on the board (if you have them). Fill in the spaces around your toppings with your apples.

Fun potluck party idea: Invite friends and family over. Then, you provide the apples (and the caramel) and let everyone bring their favorite topping! Your toppings will all be a surprise!

Tips and Tricks for Making This The Best Board Ever!

• Make sure you check beforehand in case you have guests with nut allergies. It’s not hard to keep nuts off of this board!

• Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Jonagold are great apples to use. But really, you can use what you like best!

• You can make this board cheaper by buying your apples on sale, shopping your pantry before you buy more toppings, and sticking with cheaper ingredients.

• You can make it healthier by choosing toppings like nuts, dried cranberries, chopped dates, granola, and unsweetened shredded coconut. You could also buy plain yogurt and add a little bit of maple syrup to it instead of buying a sugary dip.

• Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30-second increments. You want them to be completely smooth so that they dip well!

• Poke the apples with the sticks beforehand if you have younger kids. It’s just easier to have them ready to go for them!

What’s Next?

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