Description
These Striped Candy Apples are a delightful twist on the classic treat, featuring vibrant red and green candy coatings that create a festive and eye-catching appearance. Perfect for parties, holidays, or a fun dessert, the apples are dipped in hard crack stage candy syrup flavored with a touch of vanilla, then striped with contrasting colors to bring a playful and sweet crunch to every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Produce
- 6 medium apples, washed and dried
Other
- 6 wooden sticks
Candy Coating
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- Red food coloring
- Green food coloring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Apples: Insert wooden sticks into the stem end of each washed and dried apple securely, ensuring they are firmly in place for dipping.
- Combine Sugar Mixture: In a medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar, light corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat while stirring until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Boil to Hard Crack Stage: Increase the heat and allow the mixture to boil without stirring until it reaches 300°F on a candy thermometer, indicating the hard crack stage necessary for the candy coating.
- Divide Syrup: Remove the saucepan from heat and carefully pour the hot candy syrup into two separate heat-resistant bowls.
- Add Coloring: Stir red food coloring into one bowl and green food coloring into the other until both mixtures have uniform color. Add vanilla extract to either or both bowls if desired for added flavor.
- Dip Apples: Holding an apple by the stick, dip it into the red candy syrup, coating it completely and letting any excess drip off.
- Add Stripes: After the red coating sets slightly, drizzle or roll the dipped apple through the green candy syrup to create striped patterns over the base coating.
- Cool and Harden: Place the striped apples on a greased baking sheet or parchment paper and allow them to cool completely until the candy coating hardens fully.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer for accurate temperature to ensure proper hard crack stage for the candy coating.
- Apply the green stripes quickly before the red coating hardens to ensure the two layers stick together.
- If you don’t have light corn syrup, you can substitute with golden syrup or glucose syrup.
- To prevent sticking, grease the baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Be cautious when working with hot sugar syrup to avoid burns.
