Red Candy Apples

Prepare apples by washing, drying and removing their stems. Push popsicle sticks about an inch into the stem end of the apples and set them aside.

Put a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat on your work surface so you are ready.

Over medium-high heat, combine red hots, corn syrup, water, sugar and food coloring in a copper sugar pan (or a similarly sized heavy-bottom sauce pan) Heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and red hots dissolve. Once they dissolve stop stirring, place candy thermometer in the pan and continue to heat until the temperature reaches 302 F (150 C). Turn off the heat and remove candy thermometer from the pan. Allow syrup to stop bubbling, about 2 minutes. Tilt the pan so the hot syrup pools to one side and carefully dip the apples into the syrup one at a time, turning to coat completely. Allow excess sugar syrup to drip back into the pan before placing the coated apples on the silicone liner or parchment paper to harden (about 5 minutes). Cool completely before serving. Best eaten within 24 hours.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.