September 2011

It's an Apple Event

Apple Fun!
Great entertainment for family, kids and friends.  We set up a make your own Apple Bar after our family apple picking excursion.  It's fun, not nearly the mess your would think and a memory that lasts a lifetime!  
 
What you need: 
Apples
Carmel (or you can use Chocolate)
Craft sticks (or plastic forks work)
Wax paper
Bowls with spoons for decorating
 
The concept is easy. Put a stick in an apple. Melt some caramel and then dip an apple into it. Decorate it and let it harden.
 
The reality is that the caramel hardens really quickly and is gloppy to put on the apple. If you don't decorate within seconds (unless you're doing a drizzled decoration), the decorations don't stick. And the caramel takes nature's course and moves slowly down the apple until it pools at the base.
 
Tips to making caramel/candied apples:
  • Refrigerate your apples first - maybe even overnight. Apparently this helps the melted caramel stay put.
  • Make sure apples are dry.
  • If using store-bought apples, scrub them clean first (to get the wax off) - use baking soda or dip them in boiling water
  • After the caramel is melted (in the microwave or over a double boiler), roll the apple in the caramel or turn them while dipping them in caramel turn them upside down after dipping them, so the caramel can set, and also fill in empty spots (like the top of the apple)
  • Use a Chocolate base instead of Carmel!
  • put finished apples on wax paper
  • if you don't have craft sticks (to put in the apples), you can also use plastic forks. This might be easier for kids to grip .
  • Make them special!  Decorating ideas Listed below!
  • Drizzle Chocolate.  Put Chocolate morsels in a baggie, lay on warm stove (not on the burner) to melt, cut off one small corner of the bag then gently squeeze!
  • Use a cookie sheet with a piece of wax paper on it for a child's work area, have the kids pick out their decorations before they get an apple on their work area! 
  • work quickly
Decoration Ideas:
  • Sprinkles (any kind)
  • Chocolate or White Chocolate Chips
  • Peanut Butter or Butterscotch Chips
  • Mini Chips
  • Chopped Peanuts, Walnuts, or Pecans
  • Whole (or half) Walnuts and Pecans
  • Cookie Crumbs (Oreo, graham cracker, etc.)
  • Pretzel Pieces
  • Pieces of Cereal (Individual Cheerios, Apple Jacks, etc.)
  • Granola
  • Melted Chocolate or White Chocolate (dipped or drizzled)
  • Melted Butterscotch or Peanut Butter Chips (drizzled or dipped)
  • Crushed Candy Bars (Kit Kat's, Reese's Cups, Butterfingers, etc.)
  • M&M's and Mini M&M's
  • Reese's Pieces
  • Candy Corns (use the red ones for fangs!)
  • Mini Marshmallows
  • Gummy Bears, Worms, etc.
  • Raisins, Dried Cranberries, Dried Pineapple, etc.
  • Shredded Coconut (mix with food coloring to make colored coconut)
  • Melted White Chocolate with Food Coloring (for faces, decorating, etc.)