How To Make Candy Apples That Don't Stick To Your Teeth

Next to cooler weather and scented candles, enjoying the fall season also includes making delicious treats like pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake and vibrant candy apples. Thanks to gooey caramel, you can easily eat caramel apples without breaking your teeth. However, the key to a well-made candy apple includes a shiny red crackable coating. If your homemade candy apples are impossible to chew and leave a sticky residue on your teeth, you may be making a mistake in the candy-making process. Unlike salted caramel apple pie cookies or caramel-coated apples, candy apples aren't favored for their chewy texture. The key to making award-winning candy apples comes down to creating a perfectly sweet stained glass candy coating with an extra-hard consistency. 

To make candy apples with a breakable outer shell, make sure the prepared coating is hot enough before applying it to fresh fruit. Specifically, the combination of sugar, corn syrup, water, and red food coloring needs to be tempered over the stove until your mixture reaches an exceedingly hot temperature between 300 and 310 degrees Fahrenheit. Deemed the hard-crack stage in candy making, this is considered the hottest setting syrup can reach before cooling. If you swirl your fresh apples in a syrup that falls below the hard-crack range, you run the risk of this precious coating not only dripping off of your fruit, but also sticking firmly to your teeth with every bite. To avoid ruining this year's batch of seasonal treats, there are a few preventative measures worth taking.

To guarantee your candy apple coating reaches the proper hard-crack temperature, you can use a candy thermometer, the cold water test, or both, for extra precaution. For your candy coating to reach the hard-crack stage, warm the required ingredients over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep a candy thermometer in your prepared syrup until it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Alternatively, remove a spoonful of syrup and add it directly to a glass of cold water. Syrup that has reached the hard-crack stage will form string-like strands. Once removed, they should easily crack under pressure. This is a solid indication that your syrup is ready to use.

Make sure to remove the hot mixture from the stove once it reaches the correct temperature to avoid burning. Have your apples prepped with sticks beforehand and work quickly, dipping your fruit and placing each piece on a greased, parchment-lined baking sheet to dry. Apples should be hard and dry to the touch after roughly 10 minutes.

Once you enjoy a freshly made candy apple (or two), properly store any leftovers to avoid compromising the texture of your candy coating. Cooled candy apples should be wrapped in plastic bags or plastic wrap and stored in a cool, dry location for up to three days. Even though you can bake apples in the air fryer for an easy fall dessert, with extra precision, you can also make deliciously festive candy apples in just a few simple steps.