Trader Joe's Caramel Apple Dipping Kit

Not every new item this year is pumpkin. In fact, there is quite a bit of variety this year in terms of new products in the fall items. There are currently two fun kits available: the chocolate haunted house and this Trader Joe's Caramel Apple Dipping Kit. And for $6.99, this is a fun item to have especially if you just went apple picking.

Review

When I purchased Trader Joe's Caramel Apple Dipping Kit I had my toddler son in mind for making this. I mean who doesn't love sugary apples with a topping? However, fairly quickly it became obvious that it would be a really bad idea.

The premise here is good. But it should be noted that adult supervision is absolutely required here.

The kit is absolutely adorable and the kit will absolutely cover 6 apples plus leave you with enough nuts and sprinkles to have a sundae afterward.

If you are buying this for yourself there are no issues, but if you have kids then you will want to slow down the process for safety reasons.

One of the things I've always been critical about is directions. When you do food blogging you want to make sure that someone at home can make it correctly the first time and every time. But as far as grocery blogging, Trader Joe's directions can sometimes be way off.

First, wash and thoroughly dry your apples. A 2-pound bag was sufficient. Yes, mine only had 5 apples, but it could have definitely done a 6th apple.

Have an adult put the skewer in the apple while it is on a plate or flat surface. Once you get past the initial tension with the skewer it will go right in. If you are holding the apple at the other end, you'll only make that mistake once.

Put a plate under the caramel tray before popping it into the microwave. I didn't. I wish I had as it was quite hot.

My caramel was beginning to bubble after 45 seconds. If I wasn't paying attention or didn't know better I probably would have put it back in for another 45 seconds because the directions told me so. Trust me, an additional 20 seconds is sufficient.

Bubbling sugar is not a place for kids. And the plastic tray will be very hot. Be sure to both supervise and preferably take it out of the microwave for them and strongly advise them not to touch it.

Once you get to this point, you are in the more kid-friendly (but still supervise them) zone. Make sure your toppings are a wide bowl or dish so you can coat the caramel with your desired topping of either dry roasted peanuts or fall-themed sprinkles. Heck, you can choose neither as well.

I highly recommend placing these on parchment. First, they will come right off without sticking, but second, if your caramel is hot and not sticking to the apple it is very easy to fold it back onto the apple.

Allow hardening a bit (yes, this is soft caramel so you really just want it to cool).

But the end result was good. These made for a good homemade and affordable caramel apple with minimal mess. The ooey gooey caramel absolutely stuck to the roof of my mouth. Both the peanuts and sprinkles were a very festive and tasty addition.

This is a fun seasonal item that can be a lot of fun.

Packaging

The packaging here is pretty clever. There is an additional cardboard piece that holds the caramel in place. Inside the box are the skewers, sprinkles, and chopped peanuts. Each one is in its own plastic bag.

Where to buy

Trader Joe's Caramel Apple Dipping Kit is a seasonal find and new for the 2022 season. Currently, you can only buy this in-store until supplies run out.

Overall

Would I buy this again? While Trader Joe's Caramel Apple Dipping Kit was fun, this would only be an annual purchase. These were fun to make but proceed with extreme caution if you have small children with this.

Did you try it?  Let me know what you think in the comments section!