Makes 12 apples
These are the crunchy-coated carnival apples of your childhood! You can skip the red food coloring if you prefer. They will be glossy and just as tasty.
Ingredients
- 12 apples
- 12 sticks
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup water
- Red coloring, as needed
- Cinnamon extract, as needed
Directions
- Clean and dry the apples. Insert a stick into the stem end of each apple. Lightly oil a sheet pan, or line it with parchment paper, to hold the dipped apples.
- Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir while bringing to a boil.
- Cover the saucepan and boil for 4 minutes. Remove the cover, insert a thermometer, and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 310°F.
- Remove from the heat and shock the bottom of the saucepan in ice water for 20 seconds to prevent carryover cooking.
- Gently stir the color and flavor into the hot sugar.
- Allow the cooked sugar to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes to cool and for bubbles to subside.
- Dip the apples one at a time in the hot sugar to coat the outside of the fruit with candy.
- Allow the excess candy to drip off the apple, and put on the prepared pan with the stick facing up to cool and harden.
Keys to Success
- If using supermarket apples, you must wash off the wax for the candy to adhere.
- Be careful to cook the sugar accurately. If the candy is cooked to too high a temperature, it will have a caramel color and flavor; if cooked too low, it will stick to your teeth rather than breaking cleanly.
- Exercise extreme caution when cooking sugar for hard candy, as it can cause severe burns.
- Do not stir the sugar during the cooling stage.
- If the sugar is too hot during dipping, it will make a very thin candy coating; allow it to cool enough first. If it is too cool, it will make a very thick coating and should be reheated first.
- Paste color is preferred, but liquid color may also be used.
