Homemade Candy Apples: easy to make delicious traditional fall carnival or fair style red hard candy coated apples.

We couldn’t create a Snow White party without serving some {poison} apples. Well, we might have left out the poison part, and went with homemade candy apples instead. 😉 Read all about our Snow White Dinner and Movie Night here.

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When I was a little girl we would go to the fair once a year as a family, in the fall. We were allowed to get one special treat. It was always a hard decision to make, between candy apples and cotton candy. Candy apples always remind me of fall days as a child at the fair, and fill me with smiles and happy memories.

These are the old fashion candy apples. The candy coating on the outside is meant to be hard -like a lollipop. These are not soft caramel apples -see our recipe for those here. These are easiest to eat sliced up, but traditionally are eaten off of the stick.

I’ve made these candy apples in traditional bright red, but you can make them other colours by using different coloured food colouring. I made some pastel pink candy apples last Halloween -see how to make them here.

Also candy apples are easy to make, but you will need a candy thermometer to make them. These are inexpensive and available at any good kitchen store.

In addition, because the temperature of the candy is so hot, do be careful when you’re dipping apples. If the candy begins to harden before you’re done dipping your apples, you can re-heat it and then dip some more.

Yield: 6-8 apples

Homemade Candy Apples

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
3/4 water
1/2 cup white corn syrup
6-8 apples
red food colouring

Instructions

We used small apples from an orchard that were not coated in wax. If you are using store bought apples that are coated in wax, you'll have to remove the wax to help the candy stick to the apples. For the stick for the apple, we used some sticks we cut from a tree branch. Cut them to about 6 inches. Twist off the apple stem an push the stick into the centre of the apple. Prepare a baking sheet with parchement paper that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Next, to make the candy, add the sugar, water, and corn syrup to a medium saucepan and combine. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add a candy thermomter to the mixture. Contiune to boil until the candy reaches a temparture between 300-310 degrees. Occassionaly brush down the sides of the pan with cold water and a pastry brush to help prevent re-crystalization.
When the candy reaches 300-310 degrees remove from the heat, and add the food colouring. We added around a 1/2 teaspoon of red colouring to acheive the bright red colour.
Finally, working carefully and quickly because the candy starts to cool and set, tilt the pan and dip each apple individually. Coat the apple completely, and then let it drip off slightly to avoid a large pudddle of candy at the base of the apple. Place the dipped apples on the parchement lined baking sheet to set. Take care working with the candy as it's very hot. Have a bowl of ice water standing by incase of any burns.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 348Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 91gFiber: 4gSugar: 85gProtein: 0g

These candy apples are best eaten the same day they’re made. They will lose their crunch if it’s too humid, or if they are not stored in an air tight container.

With homemade candy apples, life really is a party.

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