Yummy Recipes- Candied Apples for a Baby Shower!

Valerie McSwain, mother of cutie little Mylo (pictured with his apple- awww!) and former Pastry Chef at the Jackson House in Woodstock, VT was kind enough to give us this Candied Apple recipe, which is super dainty and pretty and perfect for toting to a baby shower. Considering she missed her own shower because she busy having the baby, we think that is super cool of her and we promise to make them for her if she's ever expecting again! Val says that Whole Foods or a similar store is great for finding these delectable Lady Apples, and that after they are tied in the cellophane, they can be placed in a cigar box ("It's A Girl!!") or stuck in a flower pot with some flowers to make a spring baby shower topiary centerpiece! Any which way, they are super yummy and we are very grateful she has shared with the group!





Mylo's Mom's Candied Lady Apples (makes about 3 dozen)

The stuff you need:
36 lady apples (rinsed, dried, room temp)
36 lollipop sticks
1 c water
2/3 c light corn syrup
2 c sugar
1/2 tsp red food color (liquid)
1/2 tsp cinnamon oil

What you do with it:

• Twist and remove stem from apples and insert one stick into each apple. Line up your apples on a baking sheet lined with an non-stick material (Silpat).

• Carefully combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar in a 1 1/2 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Try not to splash any sugar onto the walls of the pan.

• Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Boil, without stirring, until candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees (hard-crack stage).

• Remove pan from heat and let stand until bubbling subsides (about 1 minute). Gently stir in food coloring and cinnamon oil.

• Holding the sticks, dip each apple into the hot syrup, allowing any excess to drip back into the pan. Set each dipped apple back onto the non-stick mat.

• The apples should cool and harden in about 1 hour (depending on humidity). Wrap each in cellophane and store in a cool, dry place.

---posted by Kristina