A super fun treat that is a break from caramel-covered apples.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Ingredients
2cupsgranulated sugar (14 oz/396 g)
¾cupswater (6 oz/170.25 g)
½cupslight corn syrup (5.5 oz/156 g)
½teaspoonred food coloring (optional)
1/2-3/4teaspooncinnamon extract
8-10smallapples (any variety) or 6 large. See note on removing waxy coating
cooking spray
parchment paper
aluminum foil optional makes clean up easier
Instructions
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray, place parchment on top of greased foil, and grease parchment with cooking spray. If you leave out the foil, just spray the cookie sheet directly and proceed with parchment.
Insert a wooden stick into the top of each apple pushing about halfway through.
In a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized saucepan, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, food coloring, and extract. mix briefly. You can taste it here and add more extract if necessary. It will feel gritty on the tongue, but you can gauge the amount of flavor that the final product will have.
Insert a candy thermometer and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir. Continue to boil until the temperature reaches between 300 and 310 °F. It will take about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat once the temperature is reached.
Reminder you are now working with 300 °F hot syrup. Also, you will want to work quickly as the candy will harden as it cools. Coat the apples in the candy syrup letting the excess drip off and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Once cool, they are ready to eat.
Notes
Store-bought apples often come with a waxy coating that will make it difficult for the candy to stick to the apple. To remove the waxy coating, you can dunk the apples into a mixture of water and vinegar. You want about 1 Tbs vinegar for every 6 cups of water. I usually just give it a good glug of the vinegar and call it day. Rinse the apples after their hot water bath and dry them with a kitchen towel. You are now ready to candy coat your apples.