Caramel Apple Jack O’Lanterns

Submitted by A Marsteller

"A dash of pumpkin spice and a few sweet accessories transform the quintessential Halloween treat into a grinning jack o’lantern."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 45mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 5-6

ingredients

• 5 -6 small apples, room temperature
• 5 -6 wooden candy sticks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1 teaspoon orange gel food coloring
• 1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar
• 3⁄4 cup corn syrup
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• black fondant
• green sour candy (belts)

directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash and dry apples thoroughly and remove stems. Insert a candy stick into the top of each apple and set aside.
2. In a liquid measuring cup, combine heavy cream, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice and orange gel food coloring. Stir until color is evenly blended and set aside.
3. Fill a large, heatproof bowl halfway with ice and water and set aside.
4. Add sugar and corn syrup to a tall saucepan and stir with rubber spatula just to mix. Remove spatula and begin to melt sugar and corn syrup over medium heat. Once fully melted, add in heavy cream mixture and stir until incorporated.
5. Clip candy thermometer to side of saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, but do not stir during this process. Once caramel reaches 242-244°F, remove saucepan from heat and place directly in ice water for a couple seconds to halt cooking process. Remove from ice water and stir in butter until incorporated.
6. Pour caramel into a tall, heatproof liquid measuring cup and immediately begin dipping apples until completely coated. Allow excess caramel to drip off for a few seconds, then transfer to parchment paper. Once all apples are dipped, chill them in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before decorating, or up to 2 days.
7. Before serving, roll out a small amount of black fondant and carve jack o’lantern faces from it. Arrange faces directly on the caramel apples and twirl pieces of green sour candy belts around candy sticks and down the sides of the apples to resemble pumpkin vines.
8. Prep tip: Make sure apples are at room temperature before dipping so that the caramel adheres well to the skin.
9. Note: If caramel cools too quickly before all of the apples are dipped, reheat in the microwave for a few seconds until warm and pourable.