When it comes to fall treats, you can't get more timeless than a caramel apple. Once the fairgrounds and pumpkin farms open up and the air gets crisp, it feels obligatory to enjoy a few throughout the season. And this year, TikTok is bringing you a new and improved way to serve up this autumn food staple: as a dipping board.
With the explosion of innovative food boards throughout the past year, from butter to burrata, caramel apple dipping boards put a sweet twist on the trend—ideal for a solo snacking session or a dessert for an an entire Halloween party. As classic as a caramel apple is, these dipping boards make them much easier to eat (and less messy, too).
Granny Smith apples are the standard choice for a traditional caramel apple, as the tartness of the green apple variety balances out the caramel and other sweet toppings. For a dipping board, cut your apples into medium-sized slices, ensuring they're thick enough to hold up under your chosen sauces and add ons.
Social media posts show users experimenting with all different kinds of topping combinations. Caramel, chocolate, and white chocolate are known to work as base flavors, and it's common to top your apple off with crushed nuts and chocolate shavings. But some are also trying out new flavors with MandMs, marshmallows, toffee, crushed graham crackers, and more.
On TikTok, creator @skylar_toth demonstrated the safest way to melt chocolate and caramel into a sauce without burning it for her apple board. First, boil a few inches of water in a pan. Fill a heat-safe glass jar or ramekin with solid caramel or chocolate, and pop the entire dish into the boiling water—it should cover just a small portion of the bottom of your dish. The chocolate and caramel should slowly melt into a cohesive sauce.
Another social media creator over on Instagram, @lifebyleanna, used tea candles underneath her sauces to keep them warm while on their serving dish. Not only does the end result adorably fit the season, but it adds function for longer gatherings.
Whether you’re attempting a Pinterest-worthy spread to serve at a fall-themed celebration or just looking for a new way to ring in the season, these boards offer up the perfect excuse for putting on your favorite Halloween movie and treating yourself—as if you need one.