How to Make Lollipops That Don’t Suck
A crunchy, tart and sweet apple lovingly covered in a shiny candy shell or rich caramel robe is a typical fall treat that’s easy to make but also pretty easy to spoil. To get your candy as good as possible, there are several factors to consider.
Collect good apples
I’ve said this before, but Red Delicious apples are made from soft lies . They are soft and soft, and covering them with a sweet shell won’t hide the high bullshit factor of this apple. Instead, pick an apple with some flavor, such as any of the following:
- Granny Smith : Sure, she’s a little sour, but the acid Granny gave can cut through oily buttery caramel like a hot knife through oily butter.
- Honeycrisp : This sweet, refreshing and crunchy apple is almost a dessert in and of itself , but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have caramel for it.
- Fuji : This apple tastes the same as Honeycrisp, but is slightly more astringent and usually cheaper.
- Any of these : Ambrosia, Cortland, The Pink Lady, or Gala. Basically, if you want to eat it fresh, you probably want to eat it sugar-coated.
With one or more apple varieties selected, you’re ready to coat them with something sweet. Oh, before we start, rinse them well with hot water and dry them vigorously to remove as much wax as possible.
Sugar coat it
Honestly, while apples are important, what you put on your apple is much more important because the whole point of the candy in the apples is candy. There are two main categories of sugar-coated apples: bright red, glossy, candy-coated, and caramel-coated apples. You can of course make the caramel yourself, but I prefer the lazy method.
Lazy caramel apples
You will need:
- 6-12 apples, depending on their size (you can find really cute mini in some stores)
- 1 pack of 14 ounces of these small pre-wrapped caramel cubes, obviously unpackaged.
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- A pinch of salt
Melt the caramel and cream in a double boiler or microwave (heating for 12 seconds at a time and stirring between heatings). Add salt and let cool for a few minutes. Remove the stems from all of your (washed and dried) apples and stick a craft stick or chopstick over the place where the stem was. Dip them in delicious caramel until they are evenly coated. Place the dipped apples on parchment paper to set. You can, of course, roll them in various fillings before letting them solidify, but we’ll talk about that a little later.
Then there is a glossy, bright red lollipop. It’s a fun treat, and while this thermometer is indispensable, you only need four ingredients.
Classic Caramel Apple (via Food.Com )
You will need:
- 6-12 apples, depending on their size (you can find really cute mini in some stores)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 glass of water
- ¼ teaspoon of tartar
- Red food coloring (or green if you prefer a poison apple vibe).
Wash and dry the apples, remove the stems, pierce them with chopsticks or chopsticks, and set them aside while you prepare the candy frosting. Combine sugar, water, and tartar in a saucepan and place over high heat with an ice thermometer attached to the side. Cook until the coating reaches the “hard crack” stage (300 ℉), add food coloring of your choice, dip and beat the apples until they are covered. Place for the waxed paper to harden.
If you want to try something a little different and make a caramel apple that sits somewhere between candied and caramel-d, you can substitute dry, caramelized granulated sugar for plain white sugar. The texture will be different from any of the other coatings, and the flavor will be deeper and more complex than your typical candied sample.
Once you have a solid foundation of sweet flavors, you’re ready for the toppings party.
Top ’em off
There is nothing wrong with a plain caramel or lollipop apple not decorated and obtained in its simplest form, but I try to do my best with this particular confection. Here are some of my favorite sprinkles:
- Salty Snacks: Pretzels, Potato Chips, Shredded Cheese Chips , Popcorn, Roasted Nuts of All Kinds, Giant Maldon Salt Flakes, Trail Mix, Sesame Seeds.
- Sweets: Caramel Corn, Candied Nuts, Chopped Oreos, Mini M & M’s, Chopped Toffee, Toasted Coconut, Candied Fruit, Candied Ginger, Frozen Dried Fruit, Sprinkles, Marshmallows, Sweet Flakes, Sprinkles, Balls of Chopped Malted Milk ( Maltesers of gt) edible flowers (that would be so beautiful).
- Delicious Drizzle: Add some white, milk, or dark chocolate and drizzle with it, or make your own magic shell for a quick set of chocolate treat.
Of course, there’s no reason to be limited to just one filling, and the candied apple is the perfect canvas to paint your unique scent on, combining complementary flavors and textures. Some inspiration:
- Most Beautiful and Elegant Apple: Granny Smith + Caramel + Giant Salt Flakes + Edible Flowers
- Tropical Vacation: Honeycrisp + Candy Top + Roasted Coconut + Macadamia Nuts + some freeze-dried pineapple shredded.
- The Sharp and Sweet: Fuji + Caramel + Shredded Hot Cheddar Chips
- Cinema: Granny Smith + Buttered Popcorn + Mini M & Ms + Crushed Malted Milk Balls.
- Baby miracle: Honeycrisp + lollipop coating (or caramel) + chopped oreos + topping + choice of sweet cereals (maybe COOKIE CRISP?) + Magic drizzle of seashells
Besides the toppings, you can also play with the format. The caramel apple bar is easy to customize; simply place a bunch of mini apples with chopsticks, pour some melted caramel into a small fondue pot, and place small bowls of various toppings for your guests to roll over their apples.
Another fun decoration for this fall treat is the nacho route. Slice one or more kinds of apples, lay them out in one layer on a tray, and head out into town with caramel, candy, drizzle and whatever else you think should be there. You can quickly rinse the slices in a honey water bath to prevent browning , but these items will be covered with a scarf so quickly they won’t even have a chance to darken.