Yields: 8 Servings

Prep time: about 25 mins

Needed:
8 golden delicious apples
8 ice cream sticks
1 each red, green and blue fruit roll-ups
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups water
Red and yellow liquid food color or orange paste food color

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with foil; coat foil with nonstick cooking spray

2. Wash apples; dry thoroughly with paper towels. Remove stems. Insert sticks into stem end of apples

3. Cut faces or spiderwebs from Fruit roll-ups; press them onto the apples

4. In a 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, warm the sugar, corn syrup and water just until sugar dissolves. Cover pan and boil 3 minutes. Uncover pan, carefull attach a candy thermometer to side, and withouth stirring, increase heat to medium-heat

5. Continue to boil and, without stirring, boil 30 minutes, or until candy thermometer registers 300° to 310°F. (Or, drop a small amount of syrup from tip of a spoon into ice water. When mixture forms a brittle mass that snaps easily when pressed between fingers, it’s ready.) Immediately remove from heat; wait until boiling stops. Take great care, as teh syrup is extremely hot

6. Stir in food color until thoroughly blended. Tipping saucepan slightly so the syrup is deeper on one side, immerse one of the apples. Twirl it a few times to coat completely, then remove from syrup and twirl a few more times letting excess syrup fall back into saucepan.

7. Lightly drag base of apple over lip of the saucepan to remove additional syrup. Set apple on sprayed foil. Working quickly, coat rest of apples with remaining syrup.

note: if you don’t have a candy thermometer, start checking the temp of the syrup after it’s been boiling about 25 minutes using the ice water test described in step 5.

© Women’s Day Specials – Halloween Celebrations vol XIII, #1, 2003