Fresh apples in red, yellow, or green coated with glass-like, candy coating always brings a smile to children’s faces. Learn how to make a candy coating that almost looks like tempered chocolate. Be sure to use gluten free food coloring.
Candy apples just like find at the fair, but with different varieties of apples and colors of candy coating. Make Halloween fun this year and let the kids choose the colors.
Ingredients:
- 6 apples, red, green, or yellow, rinsed and dried
- 6 sturdy lollipop sticks or cake pop sticks
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup*
- 1/2 teaspoon spicy cinnamon oil (or your desired flavor) (optional)
- 3/4 teaspoon gluten-free red** food coloring (AmeriColor or McCormick's)
- 1/4 teaspoon gluten-free black food coloring (optional) (AmeriColor or McCormick's)
Instructions:
- Remove stems from apples and insert sticks. Lightly oil baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high to high heat, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook until the mixture reaches 300ºF. (If you do not own a candy thermometer, drop some of the hot mixture from a spoon into a glass of cold water. If it hard strands, it is ready.) Immediately remove from heat, stir in any flavoring and food coloring.
- Hold an apple by its stick, dip in syrup, and transfer to the prepared pan to harden, 10 minutes.
Tips
*An excellent substitute for corn syrup is gluten free brown rice syrup, Lundber's brand.
**For natural red food coloring try Paprika Oil/Extract.
If you wish to double the recipe, don't. Make a separate batch after you are done with the first one as the mixture sets up quickly.
To make the chocolate colored coating, use red and black food coloring.