How to Make Hot Pink Candy Apples (or any other color!!)

How to Make Hot Pink Candy Apples (or any other color!!)

Ingredients

6-8 medium apples (washed, dried & stems removed)**
3 cups of white sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp white food coloring (I recommend AmeriColor Bright White Soft Gel Paste)
1-2 tsp. of you color of choice - the more color you use, the brighter the apples will be!)
Candy Apple Sticks (or craft sticks or short dowels)
** I used rather large Granny Smith Apples. I love the tartness of the green apples, but I wish they had been smaller. They were hard to wrap and I wasn't able to dip as many as the recipe indicated!

Other things you'll need:
Cookie Sheet
Non-stick Spray
Heavy Duty Boiler or Sauce Pan
Candy Thermometer
Rubber Spatula

Instructions

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy boiler (sauce pan). Turn on medium to high heat and let the mixture come to a boil.
Be sure to have a candy thermometer inserted into the mixture but not touching the bottom!
Let the candy come to 302°F (hard crack stage). This will take about 20 minutes. There's no need to stir or disturb the mixture while it heats... just be patient!
While that's going on... make sure your apples are ready (washed, dried, and on the sticks!), then spray a cookie sheet with non-stick butter spray. The "butter" flavor isn't necessary, but butter makes everything better, right?
When the candy reaches 302°, immediately remove it from the heat and use a rubber spatula to stir in the vanilla (or other flavor). Then add the white gel paste and whatever color you want the apples to be... for me it was pink (and later on, orange.. but that was two different batches!). Stir it gently to get the color evenly incorporated.
You'll want to work quickly because the candy will start to cool immediately. As soon as the colors are evenly mixed in, begin dipping your apples.
I like to tilt the pot to get them really well coated, then let the excess drip off for a few seconds. After they're dipped, I set them on the buttered cookie sheet to harden. Be careful!!! This sugar is HOT and it will hurt you if you touch it!!
It will only take a couple of minutes and the candy will be hard and ready to eat! They keep well at room temperature for 2-3 days but do not refrigerate... they will get super sticky!