Candied apples on a stick. . .

. . .make my tummy go TWO-FOURTY-SIX!

I never figured out exactly what that meant, but I'm pretty sure it was a really good thing! 

Well, I made a batch of candied apples for Fall Fest and they turned out beautifully shiny and perfect. . . with one exception. The "candy" coating was hard like a lollipop! Luckily, a few friends of mine said that's exactly how they are supposed to be! I guess so (I've never actually had a candied apple- I'm too much of a sucker for the caramel ones.)

So I thought you'd like my recipe for candied apples! Here you go!

Candied Apples (on a stick)

Special Materials

candy thermometer

thin tree branches/sticks (cleaned and dried)

Ingredients

24 Miniature apples

4 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups light corn syrup

2 cups water

red gel food color

1 cinnamon stick

Directions

Gather your sticks. Use sticks that have dried out for weeks if you can (this takes some planning) and break them into uniform lengths. Don't worry about tiny protruding limbs from the sticks- this adds to the whimsy of the candied apple. 

Wash and dry your apples. I purchased mine at Wal-Mart for under  $1.00 per pound. Last year, I thought only AJ's would have these adorable tiny apples, but I was pleasantly surprised this year, and so was my wallet!

Here you can see one of the minis compared to a regular-sized apple. Much more appropriate bites for little party go-ers!

Before you make your candy mixture, insert the sticks into all of your cleaned apples. If some of your apples won't sit up straight, you can place the stick in slightly off center to the side opposite that it tends to lean, and this should help it stay upright. If that doesn't help, trim the offending nub off the bottom that sets it off balance. This will eventually all be covered with the candy coating.

Now, place all of your other ingredients in a pot set to medium high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring it to a boil. Cover the mixture and let it boil for about 3 minutes. Uncover, and set your candy thermometer inside the sugar mixture and leave it there so you can closely monitor the progress. It will take a little while (at least 20 minutes for me). 

Now you must watch the temperature! But resist the temptation to stir! Wait for it to get to about 290 degrees F. Then turn off your heat.

Dip each of your apples in the red candy mixture, coating then thoroughly with a spoon if needed. Lift them from the mixture and rotate them until they no longer drip, then place them onto a greased cookie sheet to dry.