Apple Candies

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but can the same be said of apple candies? Only one way to find out! Try one of these delicious apple candy recipes, like caramel apples, candy apples, apple fudge, apple caramels, and apple truffles. They're a cure for the boring candy blues--no doctor's prescription needed!

1. Caramel Apple Recipes

(c) 2007 About.com

This list of caramel apple recipes features tons of fun caramel apple variations, from the classic plain caramel apple to caramel apples covered in crushed cookies, candy bars, peanut butter and pretzels, and much, much more.

2. Candy Apples

(c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com

A layer of crunchy cinnamon hard candy coats a crisp, tart apple in this old-fashioned favorite. Readers give this recipe five stars!

3. Apple Spice Truffles

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Apple Spice Truffles have the warm fall flavors of fresh apples and spicy cinnamon mixed with milk chocolate. The truffles are coated in chocolate and topped with crushed graham crackers to give these truffles all the flavors of delicious apple pie.

4. Apple Cider Caramels

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

In these Apple Cider Caramels, the sweet, slightly burnt caramelized sugar taste pairs perfectly with the tart apple cider, spicy cinnamon, and rich butter. These caramels are soft, silky-smooth, and won’t stick in your teeth.

5. Apple Pates de Fruits

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

These Apple Pates de Fruits have a wonderful sweet-tart flavor and a great texture. Pates de Fruits are a traditional French candy that are sometimes described as a very condensed jam. These chewy candies practically burst with apple flavor with every bite.

6. Applesauce Fudge

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Applesauce Fudge is made with real applesauce and lots of toasted nuts and spices, to give you a taste of fall in every bite. If you're extra-ambitious, you can even try making your own fresh applesauce to add even more flavor to this recipe.

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Top Caramel Apple Recipes

Caramel apples are hard to improve upon: chewy, rich caramel covering crunchy fresh apples is a classic combination that hits all the right sweet, chewy, and crunchy notes. However, add a few additional ingredients and the caramel apple goes from classic to completely customized and outrageously good. Try topping your caramel apple with candy bars, chopped pretzels, salty nuts, or all of the above! This list of top caramel apple recipes includes the basic caramel apple--of course--but also lots of fun, delicious variations.

1. Classic Caramel Apples

Caramel, apples, and nothing else! This caramel apple recipe uses store-bought caramels so that the creation and clean-up are quick and easy. This recipe was rated 5 stars by our users and is a great introduction to making caramel apples.

2. Chocolate Caramel Apples

Chocolate Caramel Apples are a decadent way to enjoy a serving of fruit. Crisp apples are covered with a layer of caramel, a layer of chocolate, and a coating of chopped candy bars. I usually make these with Snickers, but any candy bar that you like will work.

3. Peanut Butter Caramel Apples

These Peanut Butter Caramel Apples should be called "kitchen sink apples," because they include everything but the kitchen sink! Chocolate, peanut butter chips, peanut butter cups, and salted peanuts are all included in this insanely good caramel apple variation.

4. Oreo Caramel Apples

These Oreo Caramel Apples are almost too pretty to eat! In keeping with the black-and-white Oreo theme, the caramel apple is swirled with white and dark chocolate on the outside.

5. White Chocolate Caramel Apples

Indulge your tropical side with these White Chocolate Caramel Apples! In addition to the caramel, apple, and white chocolate flavors, this recipe includes salty macadamia nuts and sweet toasted coconut to give them an island twist.

6. Panda Caramel Apples

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

When you can't make it to the zoo, make these Panda Caramel Apples instead! This recipe uses white chocolate, cookies, and chocolate discs to make adorable caramel apples that look like panda bears.

7. Monkey Caramel Apples

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

This recipe for Monkey Caramel Apples is no monkey business! Caramel apples are coated with chocolate and decorated with cookies to resemble cute, playful monkeys.

8. Miniature Caramel Apples

Miniature Caramel Apples prove that big taste can come in a small package! Small balls of apples are dunked in chocolate, then given a coating of smooth, chewy caramel. They’re as delicious as they are adorable, and they make the perfect party appetizer or favor.

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Apple Cider Caramels

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

In these Apple Cider Caramels, the sweet, slightly burnt caramelized sugar taste pairs perfectly with the tart apple cider, spicy cinnamon, and rich butter. These caramels are soft, silky-smooth, and won’t stick in your teeth.

This recipe is time-intensive, due to the apple cider reduction step. To save time, you can use 1/3 cup defrosted apple juice concentrate, instead of reducing the apple cider, and suffer only a small reduction in flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups apple cider
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter, cubed
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat and boil it until it is reduced to 1/3 cup. This should take approximately 35-45 minutes.

3. While the apple cider is reducing, place the butter and cream in another saucepan and heat to boiling. As soon as it boils, remove it from the heat and add the cinnamon sticks. Cover and set aside for now.

4. Once the cider is reduced to 1/3 cup, remove it from the heat. Whisk it into the cream mixture.

5. In a medium-large saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, corn syrup, and water over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and insert a candy thermometer.

6. Cook the candy until it is a medium brown color and registers about 330-340 degrees on the thermometer. Watch it carefully toward the end, as sugar burns very quickly at high temperature.

7. Once the sugar is the proper color and temperature, remove the cinnamon sticks from the cream and cider mixture. Slowly and carefully whisk the cream into the sugar, standing back a good distance because the candy will steam and splatter. Whisk until all of the cream is added.

8. At this point, the candy’s temperature will have dropped quite a bit. Continue to cook it until it reaches 250 degrees. Once at 250, remove it from the heat and pour it into the prepared pan.

9. Allow the caramels to sit at room temperature until cool. Once they are no longer warm, they can be refrigerated to speed the setting process. Once set, remove them from the pan using the foil as handles. Peel the foil from the backs of the caramels and cut into small squares. Wrap the squares in waxed paper to prevent them from sticking. Wrapped apple cider caramels can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They are best served at room temperature.

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Apple Pâtes de Fruits

I feel like I've been featuring a lot of p?te de fruit candy recipes lately--or maybe it's not that I've been featuring so many, it's just that I think they're kind of a lesser-known candy, so whenever I feature, say, two in two months, it feels like I'm throwing a giant p?tes de fruits parade and shoving them down your throats. I know they're not as fun as fudge or as sexy as truffles, but believe me when I tell you, there is no better candy to make when you want to feature fresh fruit.

Other candies may use a little fruit puree here and there, or call for the occasional dried or fresh fruit thrown in, but p?tes de fruits are composed almost entirely of fruit, so they taste like a piece of fruit punched you in the mouth. In a good way! If you, too, would like to be punched in the mouth by intense apple flavor (in a good way!) pick up a few of your favorite apples and make these Apple P?tes de Fruits. And with that, my friends, I pinky-promise not to mention anything that starts with "p" and ends with "?tes de fruits" for at least another two months.

Get the recipe: Apple P?tes de Fruits

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Apple P?tes de FruitsPhoto c2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Apple Pâtes de Fruits

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Pates de Fruits are a traditional French candy that are sometimes described as a very condensed jam. Basically, they are a fruit puree that is reduced, with a jelling agent added. The result is chewy and vividly, intensely fruity.

These Apple Pates de Fruits have a wonderful sweet-tart flavor and a great texture. This recipe calls for a vanilla bean to be added to the water when poaching the apples, but you can substitute cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, or any other aromatics that you like to give the apples a flavor boost. This recipe is time-consuming but I think it’s worth it to create such a classic, gourmet treat.

Prep Time: 1?hour

Cook Time: 8?minutes

Total Time: 1?hour, 8?minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 flavorful, tart medium apples (to produce 1 lb, 10 oz fruit puree)
• 1 split vanilla bean pod
• 6 tbsp (2.6 oz) granulated sugar (1)
• 2 tbsp (.8 oz) powdered pectin
• 3-1/3 cup (1 lb 11 oz) granulated sugar (2)
• 1/2 cup (5.6 oz) light corn syrup
• 3.5 tsp (.6 oz) fresh lemon juice
• Additional granulated sugar for rolling

Preparation:

1. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the powdered pectin and the first quantity of sugar (1) and mix well. Have the second quantity of sugar (2), the corn syrup, and the lemon juice near the stove, as once you start cooking the candy, the recipe moves quickly and you will need to have everything prepared and within easy reach.

3. Peel the apples and place them in a large pot of simmering water with the split vanilla pod. Poach the apples for 45 minutes or until very tender. Remove them from the water and allow them to cool briefly. Remove the cores and place the apples in a blender or food processor and process until they are a smooth puree.

4. Place the puree in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer. Once simmering, add the pectin-sugar mixture while whisking continuously. Once incorporated, add the second amount of sugar (2) in several batches, and continue to whisk constantly until the candy comes to a boil.

5. Once it boils, add the corn syrup and continue to cook and whisk. Insert a candy thermometer and continue to boil, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 225 degrees F. This process takes awhile--usually about 20-30 minutes, depending on your pan and heat. Alternate whisking with scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching. At first the candy will be fairly thin, but as it cooks it will thicken and start to spatter, so watch your hands. When it is ready the candy will be quite thick, and will mass together and pull away from the sides of the pan.

6. Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the pan from the heat and immediately whisk in the lemon juice.

7. Scrape the candy into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Allow it to set at room temperature for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight.

8. Carefully remove the candy from the pan and peel off the foil backing. Cut it into small 1-inch squares and dredge the squares in granulated sugar to serve. Store Apple Pates de Fruits in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and roll them in sugar again after refrigeration.

Note:Pectin is a jelling agent often used in canning. It can be found in well-stocked supermarkets near the canning supplies or in the baking section.

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Caramel Apple Recipes

Caramel is good. Apples are good. Caramel wrapped around apples is pretty darn good. But caramel, wrapped around apples, covered in melted chocolate, candy bars, crushed cookies, pretzel pieces, and/or peanut butter cups? IS AMAZING. This list of caramel apple recipes covers everything from traditional caramel apples (complete with a video tutorial for caramel apple newbies!) to more fun variations like Oreo caramel apples, peanut butter caramel apples, white chocolate-coconut caramel apples, and miniature caramel apples.

Get the list: Caramel Apple Recipes

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Photo c2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Apple Cider Caramels

It has been (ridiculously, unbearably) hot in my neck of the woods, but I am doing everything in my power to will cooler weather to my city. I'm busting out the pumpkin bread, unpacking sweaters, and planning fall decorations. These Apple Cider Caramels are another part of my ploy to lure Autumn temperatures. The apple cider adds a slight bite and a fruity aroma to traditional caramels. I love how the sweet, slightly burnt caramelized sugar taste pairs perfectly with the tart apple cider, spicy cinnamon, and rich butter. I don't know if my plan will work, but if it doesn't, I can still have a taste of fall while suffering heat stroke.

Get the recipe: Apple Cider Caramels

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Apple Cider Caramels Photo c2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Apple Spice Truffles

An Ode to Apple Spice Truffles*

I think that I shall never spy
A food as yummy as apple pie.

But to get the crust exactly right
Takes luck, and skill, and all one's might.

It's hours before the baking's through,
So what's a pie-craving person to do?

May I suggest these humble treats
With an apple pie taste that can't be beat.

Apple Spice Truffles have lots of flavor
From apples and cinnamon, there's much to savor.

To finish them off, try a sprinkle of graham
One bite of these, and your mouth says "Wham!

"These truffles are great, they're truly delicious!
I get the taste of apple pie, without all the dishes."

*with thanks (or apologies!) to Joyce Kilmer, whose poem "Trees" does not deserve this type of shoddy parody.

Get the recipe: Apple Spice Truffles

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Apple Spice Truffles Photo c2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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