something new

so i have never had a candied apple, and i have certainly never attempted to make one. but, i was in the grocery store a few weeks back with my man (from this point forward - in this posts and future posts - will be referred to as the jeffster), and he mentioned his affection for them. though, the ones at the store were unacceptable as they were covered in nuts.

for some reason, i always thought the red apples were just caramel apples with food coloring to make the caramel more festive. it never really struck me that they were different. so different.

now, i heart caramel apples. in fact, each time i fly through the minneapolis/st. paul airport, i always walk past the rocky mountain chocolate factory and salivate in front of their caramel apple display. they have giant apples covered in layers of caramel, chocolate (milk, dark, and/or white), nuts, candies, and other tasty delights! i bought one once for my roommate (for pickin' me up from the airport in dc), but the hefty price tag on the beasts limits my purchasing frequency.

anyway, i'm making a short story long.

i was feeling generous and wanted to get the jeffster something fun, so when i saw the candied apple kit at the store, i got it and splurged on some superb apples (man, they were good)! unfortunately, i didn't realize you needed a candy thermometer to make them, so we had to wait a couple days till we were back at my place to make them. so two of the big apples were consumed in the meantime (luckily, i had a couple of little apples to take their place). check out the finished product:

warning: just because the thermometer isn't going up quickly, doesn't mean you should let the candy coating sit and boil while you join your bf on the couch for some tv watching. as soon as i turned my back, the temp spiked, and the candy coating has a slightly burned taste to it. sigh. they still turned out very pretty. and considering i'm a fan of burnt black marshmallows for s'mores, i didn't mind the toasty flavor. nor did the jeffster.

side note: my co-worked mentioned a recipe she heard on the radio for mini-candy apples. and it just sounds far too cute for me to pass up, so watch out!

2nd side note: notice the biscotti in the background to the upper right. i made that too. though that is another trial and error blog post for the future...