Jack Skellington Caramel Apples

Equipment:

• candy thermometer
• 4 sturdy candy apple sticks
• one squeeze bottle
• 4 – 6″ doilies, optional

Ingredients:

• 4 – organic granny smith apples
• 8oz / 225g / 1 cup (packed) – brown sugar
• 8oz / 225g / 1 cup – heavy cream, room temperature
• 6oz / 165g / 1/2 cup – corn syrup
• 1 tbsp – unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp – salt
• 3 cups – pure white candy melts
• 1 cup – black candy melts

Directions:

1. Clean and dry the apples throughly and place it on a parchment lined sheet pan. Stick the candy apple sticks directly through the center of the apple and set aside
2. In a medium saucepan, add the heavy cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Bring the sugar to 250F. The sugar should look viscous and the bubbles should look tighter as they pop.
3. Once the mixture reaches around 245F, I recommend taking it off the heat and letting it cool for at least 5-8 minutes. The sugar should cool and thicken. Dip each apple into the caramel. Let the excess drip off and place it back onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat with the other apples. If the sugar gets too thick, heat it gently over low heat to bring it back.
4. Melt the white and black candy melts over a double boiler or in a microwave.  You want it just warm enough to achieve a smooth mixture. Dip and cover each apple in the white candy melt to cover. Let the excess drain off and place it onto a doily
5. Pour the black candy melt into a squeeze bottle and pipe out the eyes, nose, and smile of Jack Skellington. If you are a perfectionist, print out the outline of Jack’s face and gently etch out the outline. Cover the areas with the black candy melt. If the candy melt gets too cold, heat it in the microwave again to warm it back up.

Tips:

• By choosing smaller apples, it makes it much easier to get a nice coating of white over the apple. I found the large granny smith apples were difficult to handle when dipping.
• Make sure to keep the candy melts warm and fluid. If it gets too cold, the pipping will not come out as even and smooth.
• These apples will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. It’s a great recipe to make in advance for large gatherings.