Easy Sheet Pan Caramel Apples (Slices)

by Kayla Berman on July 21, 2023 0 comments

Sheet Pan Caramel Apples are the ultimate fall dessert! Made with thin apple slices, caramel dip, and all your favorite toppings … this fun version of the classic treat has the same delicious taste, without all of the hassle. It’s easy to make, super customizable, and perfect to serve a crowd at any fall gathering.

Check out some more favorite fall treats too! Like Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip and Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies.

Why You’ll Love Caramel Apple Slices

This sheet pan sweet treat is a delicious take on the beloved caramel apple. It transforms the classic recipe, a big whole apple on a stick wrapped or dipped in caramel or toffee, into a munchable, snackable, and shareable platter.

It consists of perfectly crisp, tart apple slices covered in a rich, indulgent caramel sauce finished with colorful and delicious toppings. Not only is this recipe clearly incredibly delightful, it is also:

SUPER Easy: This is any recipe by all meanings of the word. But in comparison to classic caramel apples it is super duper easy!! Especially because pre-made caramel dip is used. This perfect treat requires no homemade caramel or dipping into said caramel – no large saucepan, no butter & sugar, no caramel sliding, etc. Just slice, arrange, pour, spread, and top!
Perfectly Proportioned: My second issue with caramel apples besides their difficulty / frustration level is that there is never enough ooey-gooey caramel for the apple. This recipe solves that problem! Each apple slice is thoroughly coated in caramel and toppings, ensuring that each bite has just the right ratio and is as delicious as possible. A dream come true!
A Fun Treat: Honestly this recipe just screams fun! That’s all there is to it. Fun to make, fun to enjoy, fun to look at.
Customizable: Maybe the best part about sheet pan caramel apples is that they are SO customizable! You can add any toppings you can imagine. Read on for all my ideas!

Ingredients & Substitutions

This indulgent treat requires 2 main ingredients! Caramel and apples. An autumn match made in heaven. In my opinion it’s the ultimate apple pairing.

There’s of course the classic cooler weather September through November battle between the fun fall treat options … pumpkin ones or apple ones. But in my head there is also a battle of the apple pairings, caramel apple and cinnamon apple. Caramel wins in my book each and every time! Hence this scrumptious recipe for sliced caramel apples.

If you’re a cinnamon apple type of person though, do not worry I got you covered too. Check out my Cinnamon Apple Banana Muffins, Air Fryer Apples, or Mini Apple Cider Donuts.

Anyway, back to it! Besides the two stars of this show you will also need a whole lot of toppings. Toppings, toppings, and more toppings.

Apples: First and foremost, this fantastic recipe requires a handful of large apples. About 4 or 5. I used Honeycrisp and Granny Smith, but really any type should do the trick.
Caramel: Next you will need caramel. What makes this recipe extra fabulous is that it requires store bought caramel dip! Talk about easy. Any brand should work, I like both Marzetti and Litehouse. You will need 1 cup in total.
Toppings: Now for the fun part – the tasty little bites on top of the caramel apple slices. I chose 6 different ones! First I went with some classics, semi-sweet mini chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles. Next I wanted some salty, so crushed peanuts worked wonders. For extra fun, I did mini colorful M&M chocolate candies and crushed Oreo cookies. Lastly, to show you could keep your toppings on the healthy side I went with raisins. They were all excellent choices, but there are endless additional ones you could choose from. Read on for all my ideas!

Equipment Needed

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How To Make Sheet Pan Caramel Apples

A caramel apple tray is such a fun and easy treat to make! Especially during the spooky, sweater weather time of year. This sliced apple, multiple serving version of the classic fall favorite, traditional caramel apples, is superior in so many ways.

It’s easier and more convenient to enjoy, but most importantly, a delightful activity to prepare. No candy thermometer, no toppings falling off, and definitely no worrying about your caramel sticking to the apple.

Now who wants that headache, when you can have caramel-coated apple slices that taste just the same? Or better! The topping to apple ratio is way more to my liking over here too.

Now that we’ve rambled enough! Let’s get into the nitty gritty:

Step 1: Slice apples. First thinly slice the apples with a sharp knife. I like to use this method of cutting apples to get flat slices.

Step 2. Arrange slices. Next line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the apple slices to the sheet pan in neat rows. I squeezed as many slices as I could on to the baking sheet, 6 down and 12 across.

Step 3: Warm caramel sauce. Then add the caramel dip to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 15 second intervals, stirring between each one, until the caramel reaches a pourable consistency. Don’t heat too quickly.

Step 4: Pour & spread. Pour the caramel over the sliced apples. Next use a spatula to gently spread it evenly over all of the apples. You have to be delicate here or the apples will be flipping and sliding all over the place.

Step 5: Add desired toppings. Once the caramel is spread, add all of your favorite toppings. I separated the sheet into 6 different sections for 6 different toppings – mini M&Ms, crushed Oreos, chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, and raisins. Add however much of each you’d like. Check out my full post for more delicious topping ideas.

caramel apple slices with chocolate chips

Step 6. Chill before serving. Place the sheet pan in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before serving. This will solidify the creamy caramel sauce a bit and chill the apple slices.

Step 7: Serve and enjoy!

Additional Topping Ideas

One of the best things about this sweet caramel sheet pan is that you can customize it to no end! You could throw anything and everything you want on top of the apples and it is almost guaranteed to be delicious.

Chocolate Chips – This most classic topping has lots of variety. You could go with white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or dark chocolate chips.
Crushed Nuts – Love the peanuts here? Add walnuts, almonds, or cashews too.
Candy – If you are a die hard sweet tooth (me!) candy will be your ultimate topping choice. Try chopped KitKat, Snickers, or Reese’s Cups. Or any leftover Halloween candy! Candy corn would be a festive option as well.
Cookies – Again, this is for the sweet lovers. I recommend you find any cookie in your house and crumble it on top. YUM. Better yet, bake a fresh batch of Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies and crumble that.
Salty – My dad absolutely loves the peanut portion of this caramel apple slices sheet pan. If you are on board that salty sweet train too, you are sure to love some other salty topping options. Perhaps pretzels, popcorn, or even potato chips.
Fruit (Dried or Fresh) – For a healthier take, go for fruit. For dried you could do craisins, apricots, or mango. On the fresh side, I think berries would be great.
Apple Pie – Make an apple pie flavor with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Sounds amazing!
Sprinkles – Go classic with rainbow or chocolate sprinkles! Or use different color combination for different celebrations – sports games, girl’s night, scary movie watch party, or Halloween party.
Swirls – I did not add any swirls or drizzles to my variation of this sheet pan sweet, but they would be a great way to add some extra flavor. Try peanut butter, Nutella, or melted chocolate!

It’s sort of like caramel apple nachos! The apples are your canvas for anything you can think of to pile on,

Expert Tips

Spread the caramel carefully on top of the apples. If you move too quick the apples will flip and slide all over, creating a caramelly mess. Now this would be a delicious mess, but a mess all the same!

Line the sheet pan with parchment paper. Again, we are dealing with caramel here which is inherently messy. Lining your pan with parchment paper will keep the pan itself relatively clean and you won’t have to worry about scrubbing and scraping away later. All you’ll have to do is toss the parchment paper!

I recommend chilling these easy caramel apple slices before serving. You’ll get nice and thick ooey-gooey caramel and crisp cold apples. A perfect combination! You can of course enjoy these apples right away at room temperature. I won’t lie I did try ’em out, before popping them in the fridge, and they were already scrumptious. But chilling most definitely enhances that scrumptiousness!

Half the recipe if you’re not serving a large crowd. A whole batch of this recipe produces a lot of servings. If you don’t need that much simply use a baking sheet that is smaller than a typical half sheet pan (18″ x 13″) and maybe only 2-3 apples.

Serving Suggestions

These homemade caramel apples are perfect to make for so many situations! They’re the ultimate fall dessert.

Fall Gatherings: The first great way to serve this recipe is at pretty much any and every fall gathering you attend. School party, sports game tailgate, bonfire, pumpkin carving party, game day, etc. Everyone is sure to devour it!
Halloween or Thanksgiving: Talk about the premier fall gatherings … Halloween and Thanksgiving! I pretty much can’t think of a better holiday treat than this caramel apple platter. You could even add toppings on theme with the holiday. How fun!! Halloween Rice Krispie Treats, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Dip, or Maple Glazed Pumpkin Bread would make good seconds at the dessert table too.
Fun Kid Activity: I just know my little cousins would have an absolute blast making this recipe. They would go crazy with the caramel, candy, and chocolate! My kitchen would probably end up in a disaster, but I think it would be well worth it. Think of all the memories!
Date Night: Because adults like caramel and candy too! I think preparing these sliced caramel apples would be such a fun date night activity to do with your partner. Once it’s ready to go, cuddle up on the couch, turn on Halloweentown or a scary movie, and you’ve pretty much got yourself the perfect October evening.
Girls Night: Pair this caramel apple board with some festive cocktails for a fabulous fall pre-game to a girl’s GNO or GNI. Girls night in?? You know what I mean. Serve pizza for dinner and these for dessert and everyone is bound to have a good time.

FAQs

What are the best apples to use in this recipe?

You can use any type of apples you’d like in this recipe! Some people think that tart apples go best with caramel, but I personally believe that all are fabulous.

I used a combination of granny smith apples and honeycrisp apples. I love using a mixture of colors – green, red, and yellow – for the prettiest spread!

What caramel should I use here?

This recipe calls for caramel dip! This is pre-made, packaged caramel that you can find in most grocery stores near the apples in the produce section. Here is the exact one I used! It is absolutely the easy way to go about making this fall-time treat.

However, you do have other options! You could use caramel bits and heavy cream to make an easy caramel sauce. Or you could go even bigger, bring out the butter and sugar, and get to work making buttery caramel from scratch!

Can I store this sliced caramel apple recipe?

This recipe is 100% best when enjoyed the day it is made! Honestly within 1-2 hours of it being made. If serving, I would not recommend storing for any length of time beforehand. Simply chilling the tray and then bringing out!

However, if it is just you and your immediate family enjoying leftovers of these caramel apples, I would say they store quite well for what they are! Simply wrap up the tray in some plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

You should be able to munch on the apples for 1-2 days after. Sure, the toppings might get a little soggy and the apples a little juicy – but that does not stop me from indulging in the sugary treat!

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