#1098 - Homemade Candy Apples

(by Shirley McNevich)

16 apples
16 popsicle sticks
red food coloring
2 cups water
1 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
6 cups white sugar
candy thermometer
chopped nuts (optional)

If using chopped nuts, put them in a bowl and set them aside. Make sure apples are at room temperature. Wash the apples in warm water and dry them with paper towels. Remove the stems from the apples. Insert a popsicle stick into each apple (where the stem was removed). Place greased cookie sheets on your counter to hold finished candy apples. In a saucepan over medium heat add white sugar, water and lite corn syrup--stir and make sure that you keep stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved. Continue stirring and heating until candy thermometer gets to 300 degrees. Once at 300 degrees, remove saucepan from heat and quickly add a few drops of red food coloring--stir. Start with the first apple--dip it into the candy mixture and coat the apple. Once coated, dip quickly into the chopped nuts (optional). Place coated apple stick side up on prepared cookie sheets. Continue with all apples. When you get near the end, you may need to reheat the candy mixture. You may also need to tilt the saucepan and use a spoon to help coat the last few apples. Once cooled, wrap candy apples in clear cellophane and use a twist tie to keep the air out. Saran Wrap and other plastic wraps tend to stick to the apples so we don't recommend using them.