Keeps the doctor away but in this case, definitely not the dentist! These apple recipes are the perfect sweet treats to devour as we head into the holiday season. Give them as a gift, bring them as a dessert, or enjoy them when you simply need a sugar fix! Here are three different ways to transform your every day apples into decadent holiday delights.
Caramel Apple Donuts
Ingredients:
For the donuts:
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 drop green gel food coloring
1 apple, diced
For the caramel topping:
1 bag of caramel bits or wrapped caramels
2 tablespoons milk
Toppings:
mini M&Ms
toffee bits
crushed peanuts or almonds
rainbow sprinkles
Instructions:
1. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a separate large bowl, whisk sugar, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and food coloring. Add your dry ingredients into your wet, and whisk just until combined. Try not to over mix or else your batter will be tough. Mix in the diced apples.
2. Butter or spray your donut pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add some donut batter into a large piping bag and fill each donut cavity until they’re 3/4 of the way full. If you don’t have piping bags, don’t worry—use a spoon instead. Piping bags just give you a more even distribution. Bake the donuts for about 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
3. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about a minute, then flip onto your work surface and let cool. Repeat until all your batter is baked.
4. Add your toppings to their own individual bowls so decorating can be as quick as possible.
5. Add the caramel bits or wrapped caramels (make sure to take off the wrapping) and milk to a small saucepan and cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally until all of the caramels are nice and melted. Turn the heat to the lowest it can go and leave the saucepan over the heat. This helps the caramel not to harden while dipping donuts.
6. Once your caramel is melted, start to dip your donuts into the caramel, one at a time. After dipping each one, quickly sprinkle your topping of choice. Repeat until all donuts are topped.
Marbled Candy Apples
Ingredients:
6 smaller Granny Smith apples
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
unsalted butter or oil spray
2 tablespoons white gel food coloring
2 drops each purple and pink gel food coloring
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract, or any other favorite flavor clear extract
6 wood apple sticks
candy thermometer
Instructions:
1. Wash and dry your apples and remove all of the stems. Make sure your apples are very clean and completely dry. Air bubbles tend to form when candying apples, and this will help them to not form as many bubbles.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure to butter or spray the sheet completely and set aside.
3. Insert wooden sticks about 3/4 of the way down into the apples and set aside. Make sure the rest of your ingredients are next to the stovetop so you can work quickly once the candy mixture is done cooking.
4. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and corn syrup, and whisk until combined. Turn your stove on medium-high heat, and place a candy thermometer into the saucepan. Boil the mixture until it reaches the hard crack stage (300 to 308 degrees). Make sure not to whisk the candy mixture at all while it is cooking! Wait until it is about 308 degrees, and then take it off the heat.
5. Immediately add in the white food coloring and vanilla extract and stir until combined. Add in 2 drops each of pink and purple food coloring. With a toothpick, slightly swirl the 4 dots (about 4 swoops). If you swirl too much, the colors will just meld together. Let the candy mixture sit for 30 seconds for the air bubbles to slowly calm down.
6. With your non-dominant hand, tilt the saucepan so the mixture comes to one side. With your other hand, dip and slightly twirl each apple into the candy mixture. Once the apple is completely coated, let the excess candy drip off into the pan for a few seconds. Place the covered apple onto your prepared baking sheet to let harden. Repeat this process until all apples are coated.
Caramel Covered Apple Cider Marshmallows
Ingredients:
For the apple cider marshmallows:
1 cup spiced apple cider
7 ½ teaspoons gelatin
½ cup water
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
1 cup tapioca/cassava syrup*
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
For the caramel:
2 cups sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup light tapioca/cassava syrup*
½ teaspoon salt
4 ½ tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
1. Start by reducing your apple cider for the marshmallows. In a small saucepan, heat your apple cider over medium high heat and simmer until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Place in the fridge to cool.
2. Combine the cornstarch and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
3. Spray a 13″x9″ pan with oil or butter and cover entirely with the cornstarch and powdered sugar mix. Save a little extra for the tops of the marshmallows.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the cooled reduced apple cider and gelatin and whisk lightly until combined. Set aside to bloom.
5. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugars, tapioca syrup, salt, all of the spices and whisk until combined.
6. Turn the heat to medium and let it come to a boil and continue boiling until it reaches 240 degrees. Once it hits 240 degrees, take it off the heat.
7. Turn your mixer onto its slowest speed and break up the bloomed gelatin.
8. With the mixer still running on low, slowly add in the hot sugar mixture. Once it is all added, you can bump the speed up to high and whisk until your mixture is glossy and thick and at least double in size.
9. Add in the vanilla and whisk one more time to incorporate.
10. Working quickly, spread the marshmallow mixture into your prepared pan and spread the top until somewhat smooth.
11. Sprinkle the reserved cornstarch and powdered sugar mixture onto the top and lightly press down with the palms of your hands to smooth the top.
12. Set aside to firm for several hours or overnight.
13. While your marshmallows are cooling, you can make the caramel layer.
14. Heavily spray or butter a baking sheet. Make sure it has sides and is around 12″x18″.
15. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, heavy cream, tapioca syrup, and salt and whisk until combined. Turn the heat to medium and consistently stir, with a wooden spoon, until your mixture is boiling.
16. Once your mixture has started to boil, reduce heat to medium low, stop stirring and let it continue to boil for another 5 minutes.
17. Make sure not to turn up your heat at this point. Making candy requires some patience.
18. Add in the butter and continue to boil until your mixture hits 250 degrees. This will take about 30-45 minutes.
19. Once you’ve hit 250 degrees, take your pan off the heat, add the vanilla in and stir.
20. Carefully and quickly pour your caramel onto your buttered baking sheet. Spread it out as fast as possible until the whole pan (or most of it) is covered. Set aside to cool down for about an hour.
21. Once your marshmallows are firm, pop them out of the pan and cut them into 1-inch strips. Set aside on your work surface.
22. Once your caramel is firm enough to handle, take it off of the baking sheet. I had to run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen it up a bit.
23. Cover your work surface with parchment paper and turn your caramel over onto it. You’ll want to cut your caramel block into about 3-inch wide strips. But to make sure, you can place one marshmallow strip onto the top of the caramel block, and lightly fold the caramel over onto the marshmallow strip. You want the caramel to be able to cover all sides of the marshmallow.
24. Cut your caramel block into strips.
25. Place one marshmallow strip onto the middle of one caramel strip. Roll the caramel firmly over the marshmallow and pinch hard to seal the edges together.
26. Repeat until all of your caramel is used.
27. Now it is time to cut your logs into small squares. Make sure you use your sharpest knife. You can always refrigerate your logs for about 10 minutes to make cutting a little easier.
28. Wrap your individual caramels in parchment squares for gift giving, or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
These recipes come highly recommended (just not by your dentist)! Enjoy these sweet treats (followed by brushing your teeth) and
devour the details of sharing some decadent delights with your friends and family this holiday season!
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