Candy Apples for Valentine's Day

With 3 grandchildren....who all love candy, I decided this year to try to give them their beloved sweets with at least some fruit to decrease the sugar load just a bit)) I decided on chocolate dipped apples, decorated with Valentine sprinkles. What child doesn't love sprinkles.....They were very easy to make, here's the steps. Small apples (washed and dried completely) Chocolate Candy Coating Bars 1/4" Wooden Dowels Sprinkles The apples have to be complete dry and stems removed. I purchased small wooden dowels (about 1/4") in the craft section at Wal-Mart. I like to use these better than the craft sticks. They look better and they are cheaper. Just cut them in half and use 1/2 stick per apple. You can score them at the half way mark with scissors and they'll break off evenly. Insert the broken end into the apple. Set the apple on the counter top and use a mallet or meat tenderizer in my case to gently tap the stick into the apple. The sticks will go in straighter and the apple sits up better. Be careful not to go all the way through the apple. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If you don't have one, fill a shallow pan or skillet about 3/4 full of water. Place your chocolate in a small pan or heat proof bowl in the pan of water and slowly melt. Be careful once you've reached the melting point to work quickly and don't let the chocolate get to hot. You can also melt in the microwave, but you need to keep the chocolate at a constant temperature while you're dipping so I've found that's easier to do over low heat using the double boiler method. Be careful not to get any water in the chocolate mixture. If it's too thick, you can add about 1 tablespoon of shortening or oil, no water, milk or other fluid. Have your waxed paper spread out on the counter and sprinkles ready. They have to be sprinkled on just as soon as you finish dipping the apples. Dip the apple in the chocolate being careful to cover it all over. To tap off the excess, hold the apple by it's stick in one hand and gently tap your wrist with the other hand. This allows you to shake off the excess with less a chance of the stick becoming loose. Hold the apple over the waxed paper and cover in sprinkles. Place on waxed paper to cool. Once the apples have completely dried, cut squares of cellophane and ribbon to tie around the apples. And I sweetened the pot since it was Valentine's Day and tied in some cash into the ribbon. The crisp cellophane and ribbon just adds a festive finish to your handiwork! Simple and easy!

Happy Valentine's Day!