Trick or Treat Caramel Apple Bites With Candied Bacon and Mealworms

I got the inspiration for these bite-sized treats from S_Alex77 , and her Chocolate Covered Apple Bites:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Chocolate-Covered-...

I love candied apples; but there's always too much apple, and never enough caramel. Enter the caramel apple bite! Bite-sized apple pieces dipped in caramel and covered in crunchy goodness! What crunchy goodness you ask? Well that's where the trick and treat part come in!

The treat: Candied Bacon!
The trick: Candied Mealworms!

These are a great treat for a Halloween party, or for anyone interested in Entomophagy.

What you'll need:

Ingredients:
-2 large Green Apples
-Caramel
1/2 pound of bacon.
-mealworms (I bought mine at a pet-smart, 100 for under $5)
-brown sugar
-maple syrup

Tools and prep:
-Stove
-Freezer
-mellon baller
-2 baking pans
-bread pan
-roasting rack
-waxed paper
-bowl
-mesh strainer
-paper plates (for easy clean-up)
-toothpicks

Step 1: Preperation

Toss the mealworms in the freezer overnight. This will dispatch them quickly and humanly.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

While the oven is warming up, use the mellon baller to ball your apples. I was able to get 10-12 apple balls from each large apple. Stick a toothpick in each apple bite.

Step 2: The Bacon Station

We're going to set up a bacon assembly line. In goes the bacon, and out comes candied bacon goodness!

Cut the bacon strips in half. Save one half of that bacon for breakfast. Pour your maple syrup into a bowl, spread the brown sugar onto a plate, and line a baking pan with waxed paper

1: Dip bacon slice into syrup
2: Coat strip in brown sugar
3: place strips into baking pan

Repeat these steps until the pan is full.

Place the pan into the oven for 10 minutes. When the time is up, place the bacon onto the roasting rack over another pan, and place the bacon back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Let the first pan cool... we'll need it later.

Let the bacon cool on a plate, then break it into small bits and pieces. Set aside and try not to eat it all!

Step 3: Mealworm Mayham

Mealworms are nutritious, and eaten all around the world. Now it's time for you (or a daring friend) to give it a try!

Take those little buggers out of the freezer, and use a strainer to separate the worms from their bedding. The strainer will remove most of the bedding,but not all of it. You'll have to pick the worms out by hand. Dump the remaining bedding from the strainer, and then use it to rinse the worms under the faucet.

You can place the worms back into the (washed) container they came in once they're thoroughly rinsed. Add brown sugar and shake 'em up until they're coated.

Remember that bacon tray? Filled with all the syrup and brown sugar? Get rid of the layer of bacon grease that's sitting on top, then spoon the syrup mixture into a wax-paper-lined bread pan. Add sugar-coated worms. Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove the worms with a fork and onto a plate. Let them cool for a minute. there will be syrup stuck to the plate, and some of the worms. With moistened fingers, remove any worms stuck in the syrup, along with the others onto a new plate.

Step 4: Double Dip and Present

I cheated and used caramel dip instead of the kind that actually hardens. We ate ours right away, so it didn't really matter. If you are taking these to a party, or are going to be waiting for guests to arrive, DO NOT use caramel "dip". Use the real stuff. You'll be glad you did!

Dip the apple bites into the Caramel, then roll them into either the candied bacon bits, or the mealworms, or both! If you'd like, stick the apple bites onto another apple for a fun and unique presentation.

Rest assured that these bites are absolutely delicious!
Be sure to enjoy these with your friends; Double-dog-dare them if no one steps up!

Comments

[Deepakjuneja]

Great idea..

[Gothic kitty juice]

Yum!I want to try that!looks twisted and sick!

[American Ruin]

And delicious!

[siliconghost]

Candied bacon! Yum!

[American Ruin]

I could eat a whole plate!

[Fission Chips]

My mouth is watering so much... thanks for posting this!

[American Ruin]

No problem!

[fred27]

What an excellent but rather cruel double bluff! I assumed you'd carefully made something to look like maggots or worms. I'm sure many other people would too.

[guidess]

At the Tractor Supply Company they have Happy Hen Treats - Mealworm Frenzy, which are already dried mealworms, for anyone squeamish about the killing . As soon as you open the bag you can smell a very pleasant, toasty, bacony sort of smell. I 'll definitely try this with them. Ps. Chickens do go completely mental for them.

[American Ruin]

Great idea... it definitely seems like you get more for your money with the hen treats. Thanks for the tip!

[Victor Does]

Not brave enough my self to eat these. But a great treet for thous who are! :)

[American Ruin]

Totally

[The Good Old Days]

I like the idea just would make sure that the kid knew they were real and if the kid was ok with it. Andrew Zimmern would be proud. ?

[American Ruin]

Thanks!

I agree on both.

[ArsonMontoya]

Ooh my. Sounds super yummy. Bugs aint so bad.

[American Ruin]

Not bad at all!

[hdee1]

As an animal of the feline species, I must say I haven't seen ENOUGH food including my favorite little crunchies - the meal worms. Thank you for your attention to detail. The photos are making my whiskers twitch! >*<

[American Ruin]

Ha! you're quite welcome.

[mnmama]

Make sure you share this with Andrew Zimmern someday. Just wish there were a way to get the meal worms to clear their digestive tracts before turning them into food. Any ideas?

[American Ruin]

Best idea is to simply not think about it...

Take shrimp for example. When you order them battered and fried they aren't always de-veined, and when they are, they are almost never de-veined on the bottom... (Shrimp have two veins) but they're still delicious. It's just best not to think about it...