Whip up some of these cheery red candy apples for the kids in your life, your significant other or even your own inner child.
This recipe is from Pastry in Europe 2009 and has been published with the permission of the publisher. The measurements are very precise, which makes it safer to stick to the original European measurements that are weighed out by the gram (using a digital kitchen scale).
Ingredients:
- Apples (6-8 small to medium sized)
- 500 g sugar
- 20 g water
- 50 g glucose
- 20 g trimolene (invert sugar) red coloring
Preparation:
Sort apples to your preferred size and keep at room temperature. Boil water and sugar together with the glucose and trimoline to a temperature of 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Then add the red coloring. Insert a lollipop stick into each apple. Heat the syrup to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and dip each apple into it, making sure it is completely covered in hot syrup. Remove and let cool, stick end down on a rack until the caramel hardens.
You want a firm, tart apple. For best results, use small to medium-sized Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonagold or Braeburn apples.
The original recipe assumes that you have a candy thermometer. If you don't, simply spoon a drop of the hot mixture into a small bowl of cold water. You're looking for the so-called 'hard crack stage', in which the candy will separate into hard, brittle threads that snap easily and can't be shaped into a ball.
The original recipe cryptically says to 'remove and let cool, stick end down on a rack until the caramel hardens', which I'm sure results in a more perfect looking specimen, but if you don't want to risk cleaning up petrified candy from your kitchen floor, I suggest the following: Dip each apple in the mixture, making sure it's well-coated and allow the excess to drip off into the saucepan. Tranfer the apples to a cool baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it harden.
These candy apples are best on the the day they're made. Use left over candy syrup to make homemade lollipops. Arrange some lollipop sticks 4 inches (10 cm) apart on a sheet of parchment paper. Drizzle mixture onto tops of sticks, to make 2 inch (5 cm) rounds. Cool completely and then wrap each lollipop in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Soaking the saucepan in warm water will allow the sugar to dissolve - no scrubbing required!
Karin's tips:
