Caramel apples and ice cream are a match made in dessert heaven! Make these super simple ice cream sundae any time of the year.
Caramel Apple Ice Cream Sundae Recipe
Remember those pictures I posted about ten days ago? The ones where snow was falling in our backyard? Well, we’re back in shorts because the temperatures shot back up to the 70s. One side of me wants to dive into comfort dishes – soups, stews and apple and pumpkin desserts epitomize autumn. The other side wants to hold onto summer for a few weeks longer – cold drinks, fresh salads. Oh yeah, and ice cream. So, what can one do but make a dessert that bridges both seasons, using the cooling textures of summer with the rich flavors of autumn?
As I learned from the Almond Joy Ice Cream I made in the summer, it’s okay to use store-bought ice cream (okay, it needs to be high-quality) if you pair it with some tasty ingredients. In this case, those ingredients are crisp apples, cooked in butter until browned, and tossed in a simple, homemade caramel sauce.
My boys helped me with every step. Well, except for making the caramel sauce. Bubbling hot sugar and children do not mix well. And boy, did they ever enjoy the spoils.
Every last drip.
The recipe:
Core apples and thinly slice, cutting each slice in half.
Spread sugar evenly in a large skillet set over medium heat. Let the sugar sit, untouched, until it begins to melt. Using a fork, stir the sugar until completely it has completely melted and turned medium caramel brown.
Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream. Stand back a little because it will foam and may splatter a little. Hot sugar on bare skin is not a good thing. Return to the heat and whisk until the sauce is smooth. Set over low heat, whisking occasionally, until ready to use.
In the meantime, melt butter in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook until the apples are beginning to turn brown. Add the apples to the caramel sauce and stir until they are coated.
Using four bowls or short glasses, layer the ice cream with the caramel apples, drizzling the extra caramel sauce over top. Serve immediately.
Other desserts with caramel & apples:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Apple Upside Down Biscuits
The Craving Chronicles’ Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes
Not Quite Nigella’s Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Herbivoracious’ Caramel Apple Brioche French Toast
Gimme Some Oven’s Caramel Apple Cider Cookies
Caramel Apple Ice Cream Sundae
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 medium Gala apples
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 quart high-quality vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Core apples and thinly slice, cutting each slice in half.
- Spread sugar evenly in a large skillet set over medium heat. Let the sugar sit, untouched, until it begins to melt.
- Using a fork, stir the sugar until completely it has completely melted and turned medium caramel brown.
- Remove from the heat and slowly add the cream. Stand back a little because it will foam and may splatter a little.
- Return to the heat and whisk until the sauce is smooth. Set over low heat, whisking occasionally, until ready to use.
- In the meantime, melt butter in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook until the apples are beginning to turn brown.
- Add the apples to the caramel sauce and stir until they are coated.
- Using four bowls or short glasses, layer the ice cream with the caramel apples, drizzling the extra caramel sauce over top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Maria says
Oh yum! Great fall treat and I love the photo of your boys! Too cute!
Paula - bell'alimento says
Dara, your boys are adorable and those sundaes…swoon! I would have eaten every last drip too ; ) Thanks so much for bringing this tasty treat to our virtual dinner & dessert party! xoxo
Katie says
I would eat ice cream even with snow on the ground! (It’s really hard to deter me from frozen dairy…) This looks absolutely delicious.
Natalie @ Cooking for My Kids says
Apples, ice cream, and caramel – how perfect! I cannot wait to try this. We love ice cream during all seasons around here. 🙂
Jeanette says
What a dreamy comforting dessert – your boys obviously every drop of that caramel apple sauce! Gorgeous photos!
SweetSugarBelle says
Isn’t this weather weird?! It’s messing up my comfort food schedule TONS!!! But I love what it brings to the table foodwise! Great combo!
Deborah says
This looks awesome – and you are right – the perfect way to combine fall with the warmer weather!!
Kathy - Panini Happy says
This is truly the best of both worlds! And I know there are at least two cute little boys who agree. 🙂
Fuji Mama says
So hard to beat the combination of caramel, apples, AND ice cream. I mean really, this is just pure happy food! And those pictures of your boys prove it. 🙂
Rachel @ Not Rachael Ray says
Your boys are adorable and these sundaes look SO tasty! Love the idea of a fall sundae.
Heather at Heathers Dish says
Ingredients? Check! I know what I’m making tonight!
Katrina says
This sundae sounds lovely. Caramel and apples are best friends…with each other and me.
naomi says
Your boys are beautiful! I love the this recipe. So cozy!
kelley says
The weather has been so fickle, hasn’t it? Welcome to fall in Utah! The pics of your boys couldn’t be any cuter and seriously, Dara, I would gladly forgo the ice cream to have that pan of caramelized apples all to myself!
Bev Weidner says
Oh good grief, YES.
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
Isn’t this the one flavor that both kids and adults just adore? I need some cute boys for taste testers…are they available for hire? 🙂
Diane {Created by Diane} says
love apple and caramel and this would just hit the comfort food spot perfectly!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
I like ice cream any time of year and I’d love it with this luscious sauce. Since it’s got fruit it in that makes it a healthy dessert – right!
Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook says
Loving this apple dessert. Pour it on hot over the ice cream then race to eat it up before it all melts into a gooey delicious mess.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
What a great way to use those Fall apples, Dara! Lovely combination of flavors with the apples, caramel and ice cream.
kathryn says
I love your blog Dara. I’ve been loving it for a long time and it’s just occurred to me that you can’t read my mind, so I’m finally leaving you a comment.
Yum, yum, yum and yum; it must be fun to live at your house!
I read every post, and though I’m not a frequent commenter I am a frequent admirer. There must be a lot if us out here, reading, drooling, enjoying yet not saying much. Just know that we’re here, ok? I’ll try to comment more often than once in a blue moon.
Waving at you from a suburb outside Vancouver BC!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Kathryn, thank you so much. That is truly one of the sweetest comments I have ever received. I’m glad to know you silent types are out there…and I appreciate you!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Those pictures of the boys are so cute! I’d be licking my fingers clean too if I had one of these in front of me!
[email protected] says
Are you trying to kill people here? This sundae looks so addictive that I wanna make it right NOW and I don not have apples at home. Not Good!! 🙁
Boy, that looks so good and it will not get out of my mind until I make it!
Drick says
now that’s some finger licking goodness…….and I love how you’re straddling the fence between summer and fall with this knockout recipe… really great
Wenderly says
Oh Dara! These sound divine! I actually *gasped* out loud at the marvelous photo of the apples in the pan covered in the caramel sauce. Gorgeous!!!!!! And your boys, precious as always!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
Your boys are cute, cute, cute. Your dessert looks totally amazing for any time of year.
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen says
Well, this has my three favorite ingredients in it– cream, butter, and sugar. What’s not to love? 🙂
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
oh yum! Great photo too!
TidyMom says
oh this looks fabulous! I’ve been wanting to make an apple pie shake, but this sounds really good too!!
Brooks at Cakewalker says
Dara, You’ve trained your boys well – every last drip! This presentation is beautiful from start to finish and I couldn’t agree more that a high quality store bought ice cream is sensational with a couple of homemade embellishments. Brava!
Joy says
That looks so yummy.
carolinaheartstrings says
Great treat any time! Love the pics of your boys. Very cute. Come visit. We have a terrific pumpkin panna cotta recipe to share.
Becky at VintageMixer says
Great idea. I love caramel sundaes!! Or caramel anything for that matter.
Krista {Budget Gourmet Mom} says
Stellar combination! This definitely helps transition ice cream to fall. Oh, who am I kidding, I could eat ice cream all year round. I love the pictures of your boys…they are too cute!
Sandra says
What a treat and how cute are your boys!
CouponClippingCook says
This looks so good. So simple too. Love that the ingredients are right out of the pantry too (including the refrigerator pantry). I’ll be making this soon…I’m actually craving it now!
Carolyn says
While you had snow, we’ve had such a warm, warm fall here that I am still harvesting tomatoes from my garden! Your boys are so cute and your gorgeous ice cream sundaes make me drool!
Nutmeg Nanny says
These sundae’s look amazing!!! I’m pretty much a sucker for anything caramel apple 🙂
Monique says
Did you make the ice cream ?
I make my own ice cream, relatively easy and no machine.
My daughters make their own too.
No additives, no preservatives,only 3 ingredients.
Liz says
LOVE this idea!!! And your sweet boys look like they approve, too 🙂
Adele Forbes says
ohboyohboyohboyohboy..simply lovely and breathtaking!
Kita says
This is my kind of apple recipe! It looks like it is good to the last lick the bottom of the bowl bite!
Natascha Kessler - Heaven on Hearth says
Brillant! This looks absolutely mouthwatering…ice cream, apples and caramel… I will try this for dessert tonight!
Lola Lobato says
Congratulations on today’s top 9 Foodbuzz, Lovely ice cream!
Cathy/ShowFoodChef says
Well, I’m joining the choir on this one and saying THAT looks so good and I can almost taste the combo of warm apples and cold ice cream for me! Congrats on Top 9 and sending you hugs. Loved the pics of those gorgeous boys, too 😀
Rachel @ Bakerita says
I’m legitimately drooling.
I would love nothing more than to have one of these to eat right now. They look INCREDIBLE.
Roxana GreenGirl says
the photo of the boys is precious. they are so cute!
i’d have a smiley face after eating one of these ice-cream sundae, loving those caramel apples
Manu says
Your children look adorable!!! <3
And this dessert is such a great idea! Apples, ice cream AND caramel??? Mmmmmm I would love to have a spoonful right now! 🙂
Chrissy says
oooo such a sweet little treat! This is perfect for the Fall season 🙂
sara says
Oooooh, this looks so good! Totally perfect for fall…bet this tastes amazing! 🙂
Tracy says
Goodness do these sundaes sound delicious! I could easily polish off 2 of these myself. 😉
BlondeBomber says
This looks so simplistically delicious!!! Love the photos of your children enjoying it as well. I love caramel more than life itself so I know this is right up my alley. I just had one of the best cupcakes ever too, and they were spice apple cake with caramel filling and vanilla buttercream. It had similar flavors to this – I think I need to make an ice cream sundae this SUNDAY! 🙂
Kelli H says
I made this for a dinner party of four last Saturday and it was such a HIT. It was just like apple pie but so much easier. I will be making this in the future !
Dara says
I’m so glad to hear that, Kelli! Thanks for letting me know.