Monday, November 14, 2016

Chocolate Dipped Apples

 Last year we did Jolly Rancher candy apples and they were an absolute blast making and sharing with everyone. This year we made chocolate dipped apples and again, HUGE SUCCESS!


For me making these was so much more beneficial, because I was sharing them at a work party, and no one wants to eat an entire apple, when everything else is light small finger food, so slicing the apples made this apple snack a lot better for if you are hosting or are going to be feeding many. Also melting chocolate is a whole lot easier than melting candy, and it isn’t nearly as sticky. So without further jabbering done by me lets get down to how to make this super yummy treat!




First is rinsing the apples. So the FDA recently released that the skin on most fruits is not considered food, and so any chemical is aloud to touch it. Fortunately apples did not fall in that category, but things like lemons, limes, bananas, and melons did, so I am overly cautious when preparing my food. You can rinse with just plain water if you would like, but I like to use lemon and lime essential oils and a scrub brush, to really get as many of the chemicals off my food.









Next step is to get your chocolate started. If you have a double boiler, please feel free to use that for melting your chocolate, I still use the 2 pot method (fill the bottom of the first, larger pot up about 1-2 inches with water, then place second, smaller inside that pot, and add your chocolate). Let this sit on a low heat with the lid on, and lets get back to the apples.





This is the long part. You are slicing, and coring. You want to keep your slices thin enough that they stay a 1-2 bite kind of food, but not too thin that the chocolate will completely take over the food. I sliced my apples into about 8-10 slices each depending on the size.


Once you are done cutting your apples, check on your chocolate. It should have started to melt by now at least a little but, so go ahead and give it a good stir, and add some heat, then cover it up again and let it melt some more.


Getting the pan ready is super simple. You can use wax paper if that is your preference, however I was out of wax paper and this is a good alternative to any time you have run out of it. Line the pan with aluminum foil (side note, I am the only one who still regularly calls this tin foil) and spray it down with a butter spray, any non-stick spray you like to use. Yes this makes things a little more greasy, but if you are in a pinch it’s a trick I love to use.




Checking in on your chocolate again, I personally like to add either a little water or milk at this point in the melting stage, for this recipe I used water, about ½ cup and mixed it into the chocolate. If you want to use more and make the chocolate more runny feel free. I use the water to help the chocolate stick to the apple surface. If you have ever tried dipping apples, or anything else into chocolate for the chocolate covered effect, but cant seem to get the chocolate to actually stay on the food, try adding just a little bit of water here, it has really helped me with that issue.




Now we get to have fun!


Take your apple slices , dip one side into the chocolate sauce, then place on your wax paper / aluminum foil covered pan. You can leave as is with just chocolate, or you can be festive and add jimmies, or sprinkles. These apples were for a Halloween party and so black and orange jimmies, were used, but feel free to use whatever colors you want or get even more creative with your apples and then let me know what you did!