Caramels and Apples for October's National Apple Month!

In the United States, October has been designated National Apple Month.  Just in case that is not good enough, October 21^st is National Apple Day.  Over the many years of writing this food column, I have shared many a recipe revolving around apples.  Pies, cakes, donuts, cider, even as an addition to a main meal dish.  I was wondering how I missed out writing about caramel apples, then figured out that I sort of had already.  San Juan Record, October 9, 2018 column was on Caramel Apple Cake.  ….and so, the trek into caramels and apples now begins.

Turning apples into a candy seems kind of redundant.  Apples are basically Mother Nature’s natural candy; crunchy, sweet, and satisfying.  A good bite fills the mouth and as one chews, the juices get the taste buds tap dancing. Of course, there are so many varieties of apples available, some not so sweet, but perfect for making treats, like Granny Smiths.  There is something about its tartness, mixed with spices and sweeteners, that make the final products irresistible.

Take, for example, Newark, New Jersey candy-maker William W. Kolb.  In 1908, he wanted to make something eye catching for his store’s display window.  How to show off all those chocolatey Christmas candies, how to make them catch a customer’s eyes?  One popular hard candy was red cinnamon; it certainly spiced up the tongue and mouth, but was not very sweet.

Now hold on, cinnamon goes in apple pie, apples are popular during the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas; what if?  Yes, he did it.  He made a mixture of those red cinnamon hard candies, melted down with sugar, inserted sticks into the center of apples, and dipped them into the mixture.  They rested on wax paper until cooled, adorned with silver ribbon, and nestled amongst piles of chocolates.  Here was this bright red, candied apple, drawing eyes to it, and the chocolates keeping it company; of course, sales went up!

Traveling forward in time to 1950, Kraft Foods employee, Dan Walker, experimented with leftover caramels which did not sell during Halloween.  There had to be a way to use them, to create a new, and profitable, product for the company.  Taking a cue from candied apples, he melted the caramels, dipped the apples, and the recipe for caramel apples was born.  The recipe was printed onto new packages of caramels, and for Thanksgiving and Christmas, became the newest treats for adults and children alike.

As time went on, enhancing candied and caramel apples took on a whole new world of experimentation.  After dipping the apples, they were rolled in a variety of different candies or chopped nuts; or drizzled with chocolate, vanilla or peanut butter sauces.  Only the imagination was the limit.  Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Cortez or Durango, CO, or Farmington, NM) have a large variety; and make sure to have a napkin at the ready for the drool coming out of your mouth.  Our favorite is tiger butter, a mixture of creamy peanut butter, white and semi-sweet chocolates, and caramel encasing a large and juicy Granny Smith apple.

 

However, not everyone can bite into a caramel apple, so does that mean they will never get to taste one?  The only person, who can limit imagination, is yourself.  As I mentioned, in the first paragraph, I made a cake to simulate the caramel apple experience.  Recently, I experimented with my cinnamon roll and apple pie recipes, and you guessed it, simulated the caramel apple experience.  Wow, sounds like a ride at Disneyland; The Caramel Apple Experience!

 

For the cinnamon rolls, instead of coating the dough with melted butter, I brushed on caramel sauce, then sprinkled cinnamon and chopped up bits of apple.  This was going to be super sweet, so the dough was cut into a baker’s dozen (13 for those not in the know), so a smaller roll would be baked.  Serve one of these, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, prepare to go to dessert heaven.

 

 

 

 

For the apple pie, instead of having the sliced apples sit in sugar, or brown sugar, to release some of their juices, I poured a half cup of caramel sauce over them. After brushing the top crust with egg wash, brown sugar was sprinkled over to create a shiny caramelized topping.  Once the pie was cooled though, a quarter cup of more caramel sauce was drizzled over the crust.  How good was it?  Roy asked me to please hide the pie, as he could not stop eating it, and did not want to go into a diabetic coma.   

 

So, there you have it, the wonderful world of caramels and apples.  What, you do not have a recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls or apple pie?  Shocking!  Do not fret, my recipes are available on my food blog, or you can do a search of my articles at the San Juan Record website.

Enjoy National Apple Month!

Mary Cokenour

 

Chocolate and Coffee - two lovely food groups

That's right, chocolate and coffee are food groups; ask any woman and she'll tell you it's a fact. I feel sorry for you if you try to argue the point; you'll lose and not well.

When a female feels, well anything really, chocolate and coffee are needed; doesn't matter if we're happy, sad, angry, feeling well or ill. In other words, we don't need an excuse to indulge in these beauties at all.

My personal favorites for chocolate are: Godiva ( http://www.godiva.com/welcome.aspx ); a Belgian creation with its smooth, rich chocolate and luscious centers...to die for. I mean come on, how can you not love a chocolate that Hercule Poirot himself endorses; a connoisseur of chocolate himself. That's correct, in Godiva's newest television commerical, David Suchet, who plays Hercule Poirot (one of Agatha Christie's great sleuths)does the voice over.

The second is Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory ( https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/rmcf/control/portalHome ); I especially love their Caramel Apples (crisp Granny Smith apples covered in caramel and a range of decadent toppings).

The chocolate confections from these companies are not the type that you cram in your mouth, or eat at a fast pace. They are meant for savoring; if you want a mouthful of chocoate, grab a Hershey or Nestle Crunch bar.

Now to coffee, while a regular cup of coffee might be good in a pinch, I prefer the flavored coffees. They can be purchased in any grocery store and flavors available for any desire. I don't really care for the flavored creams offered in the dairy section. While they offer a mild taste of caramel, vanilla, chocolate, etc; I find that they tend to thin out the coffee, much the same using nonfat milk would do. I like my coffee creamy, so use half n' half; personal preference, that's all. My favorite flavor is Vanilla Nut Creme, and the best brand I have ever purchased for this flavor is from Papa Nicolas ( http://www.papanicholas.com/ ). The French Vanilla and French Caramel Creme are very good too. They also offer a selection of Numi teas; I so recommend the Moroccan Mint.

So, chocolate and coffee can be drunk, eaten, and also cooked and baked with. I have heard of putting both into chili, and I have tried using unsweetened cocoa powder in chili, but I prefer baking and making desserts with them. Here is a cookie recipe that you might enjoy trying, especially if you love chocolate and coffee.

Coffee Kisses
These cookies can be made with espresso, a flavored coffee made strong, or Kahlua (the alcohol will bake off, and just leave the coffee flavor).

Ingredients:
½ cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 Tbsp coffee or Kahlua
2 cups flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking powder
Hershey chocolate kisses

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F. Use nonstick baking sheets, or spray with nonstick baking spray (contains flour).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth; add eggs one at a time, then the coffee; mix until smooth and creamy.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.

Use a teaspoon to place mixture onto cookie sheets; bake for 10 minutes. While still hot, insert a chocolate kiss into center of each cookie. Let cool.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Mary Cokenour