Candy Apples

Hi folks. We're sad grandmas now that Noel has gone off to Baltimore. Still, we do try to keep making things. Kathy and I got together last month {or maybe in October} and made caramel corn. There'll be a post up on that soon. In the meantime, I made some candy apples with the last of my Farmer's Market apples. I was astounded at how very easy they were. Food wise, you only needed apples, sugar, corn syrup, water and food coloring. Equipment wise, you need a candy thermometer, heavy bottomed sauce pan, and a greased, parchment lined raised-edge baking pan.

I think the hardest part {hardest being relative here} was selecting my apples. You don't want an enormous apple for candying. I was looking for a small, sweetart apple with a nice crunch. I picked up some Macintosh at the market, but decided they were too soft. I rejected the traditional Granny Smith since my boyfriend dislikes them. In the end, I went with a Gala apple.

I started by washing the apples and then ramming a bamboo skewer through them. Skewers are what I had available, but you could use a popsicle stick or other stick-like object. Then I arranged them on a raised-edge baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with Pam. After that, I assembled all of my ingredients and put them in my sauce pan. Then I waited for the sugar to come to 310 degrees, or the hard crack candy stage.

It's important not to stir the sugar because that might cause it to crystallize in places you don't want it to. When the candy is ready, dip in your apples, swirling to coat and let dry on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Tip the sauce pan so you have a deeper candy pool in which to submerge your apples.  I had A LOT of candy and not so many apples, so I poured the extra over the tops of the apples where they hadn't fully submerged in the syrup.

As you can see, each apple ended up in a puddle of candy at the base, but it was easy to snap off and good enough to eat all by itself. They are ready to eat as soon as the candy has hardened. It took all of maybe 15 minutes to do and 20 minutes for the apples to cool down. Super easy, tasty and fun.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp food coloring

8 - 12 apples

Comments

[Christine]

Which one of the waters is supposed to be sugar?

[Christine]

1/2 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup water <--- This one says water...

2 cups water <--- and so does this one...

1/2 tsp food coloring

8 - 12 apples

I assume one of these waters is supposed to be sugar. I've never made candy before, but I assume it's the 3/4 cup measurement. I just wanted to clarify. Sorry for the confusing question!

Christine

[Donovan]

It's two cups sugar! Sorry about that. I fixed it on the post.

[Jessi]

I have never been able to get candy apples to work right (every Halloween I attempt it).
Very cute blog I just found it today :)