Those of you who are always looking for shortcuts (aren’t we all?) have probably seen caramel apple wraps in the stores lately. For those of you who have never heard of them, they are flat circles of caramel that you can wrap around an apple for a quick and easy caramel apple treat. They are especially great for small kids who you wouldn’t want messing around with hot, gooey, melted caramel.

I remember these wraps fondly from my childhood, and when I spotted them in the store a couple weeks ago, I wondered if there was something else they could be used for. I pondered and pondered, and then finally came up with an idea — what if I rolled them up inside crescent rolls? It only took two cuts with a pair of kitchen shears to turn the circle of caramel into three triangular shapes that would fit perfectly.

I unrolled a triangle of crescent roll dough and laid it on a cutting board. Then I brushed it with a little melted butter and sprinkled it with a little brown sugar.

From here I ventured into two different directions, because I had two different filling ideas that I wanted to try. First, I sprinkled some chopped pecans on the dough, added a piece of the caramel on top, then rolled it up.

For the second variation, I cooked about a half cup of diced apple with a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of brown sugar in a skillet for 2-3 minutes until it was syrupy and the apple was half cooked. While it cooled, I brushed the dough with butter, put the caramel triangle on top, and then added a teaspoon or so of the apple filling. Then I rolled it up, trying my best not to let the apple leak out. (Don’t use too much!)

I then transferred the rolls to a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat, but parchment paper would work just as well. To give them a nice finish, I brushed them with butter and then sprinkled on some brown sugar.

I baked the rolls according to package directions. When they came out, the caramel was super hot, so I wouldn’t recommend eating them right away. However, after about 5-10 minutes they were utterly delicious, gooey, and amazingly yummy!

My favorite was the pecan version, with the flaky layers of caramel bread dotted with crunchy pecans.

Jo’s favorite was the apple-filled version, which tasted just like a hot caramel apple. So delicious!

I want to make these caramel crescent rolls for Thanksgiving dinner, but I don’t know if the wraps will still be available in stores by then. I’m going to have to go stock up while I can!