Caramel Candied Apple

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 6 golden delicious apples or 6 red delicious apples or 6 fuji apples
• 3 ounces chocolate
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped natural pistachios
• red cinnamon candies or other small decorative candies
• gold leaf foil (optional)

Recipe

• 1 you'll also need: 10-inch square piece of styrofoam and 6 popsicle sticks or small wooden dowels.
• 2 in heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine water and sugar.
• 3 over low heat, stir mixture gently until sugar is completely dissolved.
• 4 increase heat to medium low and cook, without stirring, until mixture is a dark amber color.
• 5 remove from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream (mixture will bubble up and spatter a bit, then subside.) set aside to cool and thicken.
• 6 cover styrofoam with waxed paper to catch caramel drippings (this will be a stand for caramel apples).
• 7 insert popsicle sticks into bottom center of apples.
• 8 dip top half of each apple into thickened caramel.
• 9 insert bottom of popsicle sticks into styrofoam, allowing apples to stand upright so caramel runs down sides of each apple.
• 10 refrigerate to harden.
• 11 meanwhile, melt chocolate in top of double boiler above gently simmering water; stir until smooth.
• 12 transfer melted chocolate to pastry bag fitted with small (#1) writing tip.
• 13 drizzle thin, random strips of chocolate over each caramel apple.
• 14 repeat melting and drizzling with semi-sweet chocolate.
• 15 decorate each apple with pistachios, red hot candies, and a few small pieces of gold leaf, if desired.
• 16 serve or refrigerate to serve later.