Happy National Candy Apple Day!
Candy apples, also known as toffee apples, are covered in a bright shiny syrupy coating that cools down to a hard candy crunch...really hard. If you whack it, it will crack. Slice them up like Hannibal and you'll find they are a sweetly devilish delight. Fava beans and chianti are optional. ;)
from Darla at Bakingdom
from Amber at SaltTree
from Rose Bakes
from Kelly at Just a Taste
from Heather at Sprinkle Bakes
from Jeannie Moulton via Eat Drink Better
from Patricia at ButterYum
from Chelsea at Inn at the Crossroads
from Julianna Grimes at Cooking Light
from Alida at Simply Delicious
from Matt Bites
Tips...
Kelly: Apples often come with a waxy coating, which will prevent the candy from sticking to the surface. To remove the wax, simply boil 6 cups water with 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Quickly dip the apples in the boiling mixture for 5 seconds then thoroughly dry them. The candy will stick in an instant!
Darla: A note on the difference between
flavoring oil and extracts. Flavoring oil is a much more concentrated ingredient, so you need much less. Also, since it is oil based, it is easier to use in candy making because it doesn’t cause any spluttering when added to the hot candy. Extracts, however, are cheaper and are usually easier to find. You need more, and it’s a little more dangerous, but there is a wide variety of choices at any grocery store.
Darla: Be sure to leave a decent opening of plain apple at the top. That’s the best place to get your first bite in. (Or just slice them up and eat!)
Gundersen Health: Try the bit-sized version! Cut the apples into 1-inch cubes. Coat apple cubes in lemon juice (it will keep them from turning brown) and allow them to dry a bit. Instead of the craft sticks use thicker, longer toothpicks. Follow the remainder of the directions.
Several bloggers recommend
AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Colors and
LorAnn Flavoring Oils.
•> Local Focus...
Sendik's Food Market has Crunchy Gold Apple Pears on sale...and Honeycrisps too, their Saturday Special this week!
Outpost Natural Foods has Braeburn and Honeycrisp Apples on sale...and Bosc Pears!
If you can jab a stick or a skewer in it, you can candy it up for Halloween. Apples for candied shrunken heads, pears for candied green goblins, baby carrots for witches' fingers, strawberries for hearts, dried figs for brains. ;)
What would you candy up? Which are better...candy apples or caramel apples?
Happy Halloween! :)
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