Sweet Guide to Making Candy Apples

Fall brings cooler weather, fun outdoor activities and juicy apples. We start looking forward to the holidays, planning trips to corn mazes and pumpkin patches, eating and drinking everything that’s pumpkin flavored and finally the sweetest tradition — making candy apples!

It’s understood that candy apples were created by accident in the early 1900s when a candy maker in New Jersey dropped some apples in candy syrup. Although it was an accident, a new fall tradition began. Caramel apples came along years later in the 1950s and were invented after an experiment with different Halloween candy.

Now, let’s go through the process of picking your apple, selecting your sweet dipping option and choosing your favorite toppings!

Choose Your Apple:

• Select the right apple for the job. If you want a tart-tasting apple to balance out the sweetness of the candy and caramel, choose a firm, Granny Smith apple. If you want to stick to something sweet, pick out a crisp, Fuji apple.
• If you see an apple that has a bruise, keep it away from the others. The saying seems to be true: “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.”

Dipping Options:

Caramel Apples

If you prefer a smooth, yet sweet taste, we suggest that you use our Aprons recipe to make these caramel apples. We take you step-by-step through the process to make it as easy as possible.

Chocolate-dipped Apples

Are you a chocolate lover? Your mouth will be watering over chocolate-covered apples. Choose your favorite kind of chocolate melts and get started!

1. Cover plate or other dish with parchment paper and coat with spray. Remove stems from apples; insert sticks or skewers.
2. Melt chocolate in microwaveable bowl and follow the directions on the chocolate package.
3. Dip each apple into the chocolate. Roll to make sure it’s coated all the way around. Place on prepared plate.
4. Add preferred toppings while chocolate is still wet.
5. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm.

Candy Apples

If you want to go the more traditional route, pick up a candy apple kit in your local Produce department. Things might get sticky, but the treats are worth it!

All the Toppings:

Add your favorite toppings to any of the apples mentioned above. A few popular options include:

• Chopped nuts
• Granola
• Chocolate chips
• Sprinkles
• Chopped candy bars
• Popcorn
• Chopped cookies
• Crumbled graham crackers

After you finish making your candy apples, enjoy them right away or wrap them up individually in plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for up to three days. Do you make candy apples as a fall tradition? Share your best tips and tricks with us in the comments below.