Apples and Buttons

40 apples later we are still getting ready for Christmas. Ryan is out of school for the Winter Break as of today so we had to get her apples out earlier this week. Chase and Cooper are taking theirs tomorrow.
When Ryan suggested carmeled apples for her friend presents, I was a bit concerned. I have never had good luck with the carmel actually staying on the apple. And that made me not excited about taking the project on. But my goodness, what a good friend the internet is. It came up with several several recipes to try. Ryan and I did an experimental run and thanks to the homemade caramel recipe and the wintry chill outside that kept the toppings hard and cemented on it went swimmingly well. AND it tasted good as well.
Here we are 40 apples later and all have agreed that apples may need to be an annual tradition. The cinnamon and sugar white chocolate apples are to die for!

I hope that you can tell that the button decoration is a snowman made out of buttons. I have had some weird deviations into buttons this year. Probably another post. Suffice it to say, I have had a blast making snowman, santas, elves and reindeer out of buttons. I got the idea out of last year's Martha Stewart magazine. (Yes, I would agree that I am always a year behind in the trends.) I am not sure they will be appreciated to the full extent that Martha and I have liked them but I got enough enjoyment out of them that it doesn't matter.