Spring Candy Apples & Pears

Candy Apples don't have to be only for a certain season, only at the fair or only the colour red.  In fact, they don't even have to be apples!  Have you ever thought about Candy Pears?  Candy Grapples or Asian Pears?

Come along and I'll share the recipe I used to make some pretty Candy Apples & Pears!

Read through all the steps below before attempting to make the apples yourself.  Also, have all ingredients measured and other prep done before you begin.

Candy Coating
1/2 cup corn syrup (use light corn syrup if you want the dye colour to be more vibrant)
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups water
Food colouring as desired (optional)

This recipe will coat 6-8 apples or pears depending on the size of the fruit.  I found smaller pieces of unblemished fruit worked best.  I chose tart Granny Smith apples and firmer Bartlett pears.

Wash the fruit well, remove any stems, stickers and clean off any waxy residue.  I used a mild dish detergent to clean mine and rinsed well.  Dry the fruit thoroughly.

Grease a cookie sheet with thin layer of butter or cooking spray and set aside.  This is where you will put the fruit once they have been coated in candy.  The butter / cooking spray will ensure they won't stick to the pan.

Insert wooden skewers or popsicle sticks into the centre of the apples or pears.

In a medium saucepan, mix all ingredients together and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.  Bring to a boil.  Don't stir the sugar mixture once it begins to boil.  You can use a damp (warm water) basting brush or pastry brush to brush around the sides of the pot to avoid it crystallizing.  Simmer the mixture until it reaches 290F on a candy thermometer, remove from heat and either dip fruit or spoon mixture over the fruit until fully coated.  Let excess drip off before setting on the greased cookie sheet to cool completely.  Repeat for remaining fruit.  Work quickly as the mixture will harden fast.

If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can use the cold water method which is explained here.  That is the method I use and it works great!

As soon as the candy coating on the apples or pears has cooled and hardened you can dig in!

Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom..... These beauties are best eaten within three days.