2 cups sugar
¾ cup water
½ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon red food coloring gel
½ teaspoon black food coloring gel
Few drops cinnamon oil (optional)
6 medium or 12 small apples (I used a mixture of green and red – green for the red coating and red for the black.)
I do recommend getting apples from a farmers market if at all possible. If not, organic apples are the way to go. You want to make sure your apples aren’t coated with the wax that makes them shiny because the sugar won’t stick nearly as well. Also, the sticks I used weren’t sturdy enough to really support the apples, so you may want to try using bigger ones or even plastic straws.
Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or wax paper. Alternately, line with parchment paper and lightly butter. Set aside.
Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and red food coloring in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high. Insert candy thermometer. Continue boiling until candy reaches 300º, about 20 minutes. Do not go over 310º or your candy will burn.
Meanwhile, wash and dry apples. Insert a wooden stick into each one and set aside.
Once the candy mixture reaches 300º, immediately remove from heat and stir in cinnamon oil, if using. Working quickly, dip each apple until completely coated, swirling and turning to coat. Lift apple from mixture and continue swirling and turning to remove excess.
To make black apples, add black food coloring to red candy mixture. Reheat, if necessary, to get the candy mixture back to 300º. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and allow to cool.