I did a program about Snow White the other week and thought it would be fun to make candy apples to go along with it. Sadly, the batch didn't turn out, so I tried again over the weekend. As you can see, this batch didn't exactly turn out perfect either, but at least it turned out well enough that the people I gave some of other apples to deemed them worthy.
You need some special equipment to make candy apples. Most importantly, chopsticks, wax paper, and a candy thermometer. (You could go without a thermometer, but I don't recommend it. Candy making is fiddly, and a temperature or two off could make a world of difference.). Also, try and get your apples from a local orchard. For one, these tend to be smaller, and smaller apples are better for dipping. And two, apples bought in a supermarket tend to have a wax coating on them. This keeps them fresher, but can keep the candy coating from sticking, and we don't want that. Plus, it's always good to support local business :).
Ingredient List
6-8 apples. Go for snacking apples that will hold their shape, like Grannies, Pink Ladies, or Braeburns.
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup water
Food coloring. Red is traditional, but any color will work.
In a medium sized pot, combine syrup, sugar, water, and food coloring. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, DON'T STIR IT ANY MORE.
Let it all cook until the solution reaches 290-300 degrees. (If you are not using a candy thermometer, this is the hard crack phase.) This will take several minutes, so be patient. While the solution is cooking, separate your chopsticks and skewer them into the apples, and get a large sheet of wax paper ready.
One by one, dip the apples into the candy solution. Hold each fruit by the skewer and swirl it around in the solution until it fully coated. Move each apple quickly to a sheet of wax paper so they can cool completely. Be careful that the dipped apples are not touching each other on the paper.
Bon Appetite!
Tags: apples, vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, candy
You need some special equipment to make candy apples. Most importantly, chopsticks, wax paper, and a candy thermometer. (You could go without a thermometer, but I don't recommend it. Candy making is fiddly, and a temperature or two off could make a world of difference.). Also, try and get your apples from a local orchard. For one, these tend to be smaller, and smaller apples are better for dipping. And two, apples bought in a supermarket tend to have a wax coating on them. This keeps them fresher, but can keep the candy coating from sticking, and we don't want that. Plus, it's always good to support local business :).
Ingredient List
6-8 apples. Go for snacking apples that will hold their shape, like Grannies, Pink Ladies, or Braeburns.
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup water
Food coloring. Red is traditional, but any color will work.
In a medium sized pot, combine syrup, sugar, water, and food coloring. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, DON'T STIR IT ANY MORE.
Let it all cook until the solution reaches 290-300 degrees. (If you are not using a candy thermometer, this is the hard crack phase.) This will take several minutes, so be patient. While the solution is cooking, separate your chopsticks and skewer them into the apples, and get a large sheet of wax paper ready.
One by one, dip the apples into the candy solution. Hold each fruit by the skewer and swirl it around in the solution until it fully coated. Move each apple quickly to a sheet of wax paper so they can cool completely. Be careful that the dipped apples are not touching each other on the paper.
Bon Appetite!
Tags: apples, vegetarian, dairy free, gluten free, candy