National Caramel Apple Day 2015: Celebrate The Holiday With Easy Recipes

As if you need another excuse to chow down on sweets on Halloween, Saturday is National Caramel Apple Day! Caramel apples are truly a fall treat, but they definitely aren’t the healthiest snack around. Apples typically have 77 to 120 calories, depending on size, and provide 2 to 4 grams of fiber, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium and other minerals, according to livestrong.com. However, that thick, delicious coating is what makes caramel apples a sugary splurge. The caramel adds about 120 to 160 calories to the apple, bringing the total calorie count to around 200 to 280 calories -- as much as a candy bar.

On National Caramel Day, though, there’s no need to count calories! Be adventurous and break away from the traditional, classic caramel apple with a creative recipe. Click here to find recipes for caramel apple cake, caramel apple pie, caramel apple cheesecake, caramel apple tarts and even caramel apple salad.

Another delicious way to celebrate National Caramel Apple Day is with caramel apple dip! The recipe, courtesy of Kraft, calls for cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla. Simply beat the cream cheese in a small bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add the brown sugar and vanilla until well blended. Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and dunk apple wedges, cookies or pretzels into it to enjoy this tasty treat!

Another way to change up the traditional sweet treat is with different toppings. Caramel apples can be customized to any sweet tooth, and toppings that are sweet, salty or crunchy are all popular. By simply dunking the apple in a candy coating, it is easy to achieve a totally different flavor. Popular toppings include popcorn, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, crushed graham crackers, nuts, crushed Butterfingers, crushed pretzels and white chocolate.