Day 30: An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!...well not this kind....

What does carmel, toffee, and candy all have in common??! They are all suitable coatings for apples. Thus we have the candy/toffee/carmel apple. Actual candy apples date as far back as to the early 19th century! (That's early 1800s for anyone who has a hard time with the whole century concept.) These were served at harvest festival or Christmas celebrations. At this time the actual coating was more of a sugar syrup and was generally tinted red and occasionally hinted with cinnamon. The actual carmel apple is more of an Americanized method, whereas a toffee apple is more British.

Companies involved in large-scale carmel apple productions wrap a sheet of caramel around the apple, which is then followed by heating of the apple to melt the caramel evenly onto it. This creates a harder caramel that is easier to transport but more difficult (and sometimes more fun) to eat. My theory is that carmel-apple companies (the name of one escapes me now) are in league with the American Dental Association. For every ten apples consumed, another individual requires a cavity or filling! (Ok that's not true....but wouldn't it be crazy if that were true!!)

In regards to caramel apple production at home you can do the easy and conveniently delicious method or you can do the lengthy, more likely to-burn-yourself method. I prefer the first which entails unwrapping 30-some carmels adding a tablespoon or two of water and microwaving it in intervals. The homemade way requires a lengthier list of ingredients like brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. The procedure to making a homemade carmel sauce also requires more precision and equipment. So sure if you want to go all Iron Chef America on your apples then go ahead, make your homemade carmel glaze with a candy thermometer. Keep this in mind! If you do choose to melt store-bought carmels in the microwave, then you CAN lick off the melted carmel without fear of a second-degree burn on your tongue!

NOTE TO READER!: Ok, I know the word is Caramel but everyone prounounces it carmel so that is how I will type it!


There also exists a group of candy-coated apples known as Gourmet Carmel Apples. This merely meants that the already dipped carmel apple is also dipped in chocolate and then rolled in a variety of nuts, chocolate, or candy bits. The real purpose in adding gourmet to the title of carmel apple is so that consumers do not feel jipped/ripped-off/tricked into paying outrageous sums of money from mass-producers of less than adequate candy apples...