The Extra Steps You Should Take To Make Superior Candy Apples

In 1908, when candy maker William Kolb of Newark, New Jersey, dipped plain apples into a syrup made of melted-down hard candy, he probably had no idea that he'd stumbled upon the trick for making superior candy apples. With their shiny hard candy shells, the fruity window decorations were literally the eye candy that enticed people to walk into his sweet shop as they strolled down the street in front of his candy store. For candy apple makers today, Kolb's candy apples are a source of creative inspiration, starting with their candy exteriors.

Much of the time when people refer to candy apples, they really mean apples decked out in a caramel coat — aka caramel apples. But as Kolb's experience proved, apples covered with a hard candy shell make for both delicious and beautiful candy apples in their own right. For modern candy apple makers, this often translates into a batch of cinnamon-flavored hard candy, though any flavor will do. Unlike the caramel, this coating is not chewy. Instead, it has the satisfying crunch of hard candy. Making hard candy apples is a pretty simple affair. Just pour a bag of some hard candies into a saucepan with a little bit of water. If you want extra vibrantly colored candy shells, then drop in some food coloring, too. Once the syrup's ready, dunk your apples in it.

There are a few other apple coatings worth mentioning: chocolate and sweet yogurt. A dark hard chocolate that you can melt works here. As for making the yogurt, just mix your yogurt of choice with some powdered sugar. The mix will eventually harden like the yogurt on yogurt-covered pretzels if you allow it to sit long enough. 

The types of apples that you choose for candy apples creates different flavor profiles, elevating the taste of the sweet treat. This also provides some flavor contrast, depending on which topping you mix with which apples. Granny Smiths, those green crunchy apples that are so popular in your apple pie recipes, give your candy apples a sweet and sour vibe, particularly if you cover them with either caramel or a sweet cherry or strawberry hard candy.

Or try the newcomer to the Apple Kingdom, the Cosmic Crisp apple. This apple has both sweet and sour elements, though it leans more toward the sweet side of things. The benefit of this apple, aside from its incredible taste, is the crunch factor. Cosmic Crisps were bred to stay viable for up to a year after picking. They also don't turn grainy and brown as quickly as other apples, which means you can prep them ahead of time if you're having a party. And here's a tasty side note about Cosmic Crisp candy apples specifically: When you make yogurt-covered candy apples and sprinkle some salted sunflower seeds and cinnamon on them, they taste a little like Fruit Loops.

Finally, work with a variety of apple types and colors to create a more festive array of desserts. Get at least two kinds, one red and one green. And if you can find some white or striped apples, you'll take your candy apples from ordinary to extraordinary.

An assortment of toppings makes your candy apples more delicious and fun. Crushed peanuts have long been a favorite topping for caramel and even cinnamon hard candy apples. For variety, include a mix of different types of nuts, like cashews and almonds, in addition to the peanuts, as well as a smattering of sunflower seeds in your nutty topping mix.

Additionally, given that these are candy apples, it's a no-brainer to decorate your apples with small pieces of candy. Candy, like candy corn, M&M's, or Skittles, as well as crumbled bits of chocolate bars and Reese's peanut butter cups, make for yummy flavor bombs in your mouth. Some vegan candy offerings work well here, too. Try some Swedish fish, licorice ropes arranged in a loop-de-loop pattern around the apples, or even Sour Patch Kids to add even more visual interest to the apples. Or go with the sweet/salty combo by affixing either miniature pretzels or pretzel sticks to your warm caramel apples. You'll get an extra textural sensation with this one — a little bit of gooey, a little bit of crunchy, a whole lotta yummy. 

Finally, edible glitter adds an ooh-ahh element to the show. Sprinkle some in the hard candy syrup and then on the apples once they're covered with their candy frocks. Your whole candy apple display will seem to light up like fairy lights at Christmas when the soft light hits all those sparkly bits.