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Here are the caramel recipes that were sent to me:

#1
I cannot speak for any commercial caramel, but you can easily make your
own.  True caramel is carmalized sugar, which is obtained by dissolving
sugar in a very small amount of water and heating it over low heat.
When the water evaporates out then the remaining sugar will begin to
melt.  When it hits the carmalized state, it will be a rich brown.

Be very careful,  molten sugar can give you a very bad burn.

#2
I have a great recipe for the caramel apple idea--although I've never
used the caramel for this.  It makes a very spreadable caramel--not so
firm from what I've found in my experience, but it would be delicious
on apples.

I saw this novel idea on a PBS cooking show. You make the caramel by
taking a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk and you remove the paper
label from the can. You put the sealed can in a pan of water so that the
water covers the can sufficiently. You heat the contents of the pan so
the water comes to a slow boil, then turn you heat down low so it will
continue to simmer. You simmer this for three hours. I have had to
occasionally add more water over the cooking time as a lot leaves as
steam and the can will become uncovered if your pan isn't deep enough.
After cooking, open the can and you'll have a wonderful caramel that can
be used for whatever you like! The chef was using it in some baked apple
dishes and he topped the whole thing with a little whipping cream. It is
yummy and a cinch to make--no candy thermometers or anything
complicated! Hope that helps!

#3
there is a candy apple recipe in the Joy of Cooking book.  Unfortunately
for us, it calls for corn syrup, but I'll sub maple syrup.  There are
also caramel recipes in there and a caramel apple one too.  If you can't
find caramels, you could make your own.

#4
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
10-inch square piece of styrofoam
6 popsicle sticks or small wooden dowels
6 red delicious or golden delicious apples
3 ounces white chocolate
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopoped
1/4 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS:

In heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine water and sugar.  Over low heat, stir
mixture gently until sugar is completely dissolved.  Increase heat to medium
low and cook, without stirring, until mixture is a dark amber color.  Remove
from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream (mixture will bubble up and
spatter a bit, then subside.)  Set aside to cool and thicken.  Cover
styrofoam with waxed paper to catch caramel drippings  (this will be a stand
for caramel apples).  Insert popsicle sticks into bottom center of apples.
Dip top half of each apple into thickened caramel.  Insert bottom of popsicle
sticks into styrofoam, allowing apples to stand upright so caramel runs down
sides of each apple.  Refreigerate to harden.  Meanwhile, melt white
chocolate in top of double boiler above gently simmering water; stir until
smooth.  Transfer melted chocolate to pastry bag fitted with small writing
tip.  Drizzle thin, random strips of white chocolate over each caramel apple.
Repeat melting and drizzling with semi-sweet chocolate.  Sprinkle with
chopped nuts.

YIELD:  6 servings

Thanks to all of you for your recipes, some people wrote to ask for the
recipes, so these are the ones that I received.

JAN