Caramel Apples

I made these from scratch - this recipe is a keeper (and another great Pinterest find).  This comes from the Tasty Kitchen blog.

• 12 whole Apples
• ¼ cups Butter
• 1 cup White Syrup
• 14 ounces, fluid Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
• 2 cups White Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  Assemble all ingredients: wash and dry apples, insert sticks, and butter a cookie sheet and dinner plate before starting to cook.
  
  Heat all ingredients except vanilla in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium/low heat. Stir constantly! (Unless you really like the look of scorched bits on your apples.)
  When caramel reaches soft ball stage (235°F–240°F) remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool a few minutes.
  
  Using the stick inserted in the apples, dunk apples in the hot caramel and twirl slowly away from the heat for a couple of minutes. It’s nice to have a helper or two at this point.
  Place caramel-covered apples on a buttered cookie sheet. Optional: drizzle with melted chocolate or roll in chopped nuts.
  
  Extra caramel from the bottom of the pan:
  1. Can be scraped out with a spatula into a buttered plate or dish to be cut into individual pieces when cool.
  2. Can be thinned in the pan with half-and-half and eaten warm, as a dip for apple wedges.
  

Tiff's Tips:  I cooked the caramel longer in the pan until it was a little thicker and richer in color.  I used the cold water method to see if it was at the soft ball stage I wanted.  You can always use the extra caramel and pour it over popcorn.  Just microwave the leftover caramel when you are ready for a tasty treat.