- Release Number: 113–07
- Date: October 15, 2007
- Contact: Kevin Robinson, Media Relations
- Tel.: (804) 734–8773
- E–mail: kevin.robinson@deca.mil
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Candied Apples Sure to Tame Even the Scariest Halloween Monsters
By DeCA Home Economist
Kay Blakley
Fort Lee, Va. – The season for stocking your pantry with copious quantities of packaged treats to hand out to ghosts and goblins who alight on your doorstep is just around the corner. As always, your commissary has plenty on hand at the best price in town, so come on down.
Packaged treats will always get you a polite, "thank you." But, try your hand at old-fashioned candied apples, and you’re sure to illicit responses such as, "Oh wow! Look at these!" from those creatively costumed little angels parading through your house. Now that’s sweet satisfaction of the greatest kind.
The delicious aroma wafting from your kitchen as you prepare these will draw all kinds of hungry goblins, so be sure to save a few for your most favorite monsters. And, be prepared to be known as the greatest treat-maker on your block for years to come.
Candied Apples
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Ingredients
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4 to 5 medium crisp red apples such as Red Delicious, Jonathan or McIntosh
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2 cups sugar
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¾ cup water
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½ cup light corn syrup
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½ teaspoon red food coloring
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6 to 8 cinnamon disc candies, crushed, or 1/3 cup of Red Hots
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Directions
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Generously grease a cookie sheet with shortening, butter or cooking spray and set aside.
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If apples have been refrigerated, bring them to room temperature. Wash and dry them thoroughly, remove stems, and insert a wooden craft stick into the stem end of each apple.
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To crush the disc candies, place them in a plastic sandwich bag and give them a few sharp whacks with the broad side of a hammer.
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Mix sugar, water, corn syrup, and food coloring in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and boil gently, without stirring, until mixture reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer.
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Don’t rush the process – it may take 15 minutes or so for the syrup to reach the right temperature. When the syrup is right, stir in crushed candies or Red Hots until melted and well-mixed.
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Dip apples quickly into syrup, twirling until completely coated. Stand on buttered cookie sheet to set. Cool to room temperature before eating.
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Best if eaten within 24 hours.
Special Note: Expect your syrup pan to be a sticky mess once you’re finished. Just run it full of very hot water and let it set to soften the syrup residue. If this is your first try at candied apples, you might want to set the syrup pan over another pan of gently boiling water, double-boiler style, while you dip the apples. You have to work fast enough to get all the dipping done before the syrup starts to crystallize, and the hot steam/double boiler trick may buy you the few extra minutes of work time you need.
For this recipe and more, visit
Kay’s Kitchen
.
About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5–percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. Shoppers save an average of more than 30 percent on their purchases compared to commercial prices – savings worth about $3,000 annually for a family of four. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.
