Makes about 12 candy apples
This recipe will make old fashion candy apples, the kind that have a thin shell of hard candy around the apple. You may color and flavor the candy as you wish. I usually use combinations like cinnamon flavoring with red food coloring, mint with green, etc.
- 12 small or medium apples
- 12 sucker sticks
- 4 ½ cups sugar
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 ½ cups water
- a few drops of food coloring
- a few drop of flavoring
Line a baking sheet with Baker’s_Parchment or foil and set aside. Wash and dry the apples and insert a sucker stick into each.
Place the sugar, corn syrup, water, food coloring and flavoring in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Bring to a boil over a medium-low heat, stirring all the while until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook, without stirring until the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 290° or the Soft_Crack stage. This will probably take about twenty minutes.
Remove the syrup from the heat and dip each apple into it and then place on the lined baking sheet. Be careful. This syrup is like molten lava and can cause serious burns. As you dip each apple, sort of twirl it as you lift it from the pot and allow excess syrup to drip off. Let the apples cool for about an hour before serving.
Warning. Do not try to make any boiled syrup candy if it is a very humid day or if you live in a humid climate. It just doesn’t work well.