Candy apple
Candy apple coated with red caramel and covered with chopped peanuts
Alternative namesToffee apple
TypeConfectionery
Place of originUnited States
Region or stateNew Jersey
Created byWilliam W. Kolb
Main ingredientsApples and sugar candy

Candy apples (or toffee apples in Commonwealth English) are whole apples covered in a sugar candy coating, with a stick inserted as a handle. These are a common treat at fall festivals in Western culture in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night because these festivals occur in the wake of annual apple harvests.[1] Although candy apples and caramel apples may seem similar, they are made using distinctly different processes.

History

According to one source, American William W. Kolb invented the red candy apple.

Kolb, a veteran Newark candy-maker, produced his first batch of candied apples in 1908. While experimenting in his candy shop with red cinnamon candy for the Christmas trade, he dipped some apples into the mixture and put them in the windows for display. He sold the whole first batch for 5 cents each and later sold thousands yearly. Soon candied apples were being sold along the Jersey Shore, at the circus and in candy shops across the country, according to the Newark News in 1948.[2]

However, toffee apples had previously been recorded as being sold in London in the 1890s.[3]

Ingredients and method

Candy apples, but not toffee apples, are made by coating an apple with a layer of sugar that has been heated to hard crack stage.[4] The most common sugar coating is made from sugar (white or brown), corn syrup, water, cinnamon and red food coloring. Humid weather can prevent the sugar from hardening.[5]

Regional traditions

Pommes d'amour on display
Blue and red candy apples, dipped in sprinkles and sugar

See also

References

  1. ThisisSouthDevon (October 9, 2008). "Apples galore as event grows". Torquay Herald Express. Torquay, Devon, UK: localworld.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  2. Newark Sunday News, November 28, 1948, pg.16. The first candy apples brand was named after Kolb's wife Chelle's. Nowadays, Chelle's Candy Apples is known candy apples, hard candy and other sweet treats. Newark Evening News, June 8, 1964, pg. 32
  3. "Toffee Apples". The Foods of England Project. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  4. Flickety; et al. "How to make Toffee Apples". WikiHow. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  5. "Caramel Apples vs. Candy Apples. Tart Green Granny Smith apples work very well for making candy apples". St. Petersburg Times. October 24, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  6. "Designer Toffee Apples". Designer Toffee Apples. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  7. Celeste Heiter; Things Asian Press (November 1, 2009). To Japan with Love: A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur. ThingsAsian Press. pp. 127–. ISBN 978-1-934159-05-7. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
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