How to Make Chocolate Covered Apples

Chocolate covered apples make a great afternoon snack.

During the fall, you can often find chocolate-covered apples at candy or grocery stores selling for $4 or $5. For roughly the same amount of money, you can make a variety of chocolate-covered apples to satisfy everyone's tastes. Because making chocolate-covered apples is so easy, it's a great opportunity to let your kids demonstrate their cooking skills while creating a semihealthy snack the whole family will enjoy.

Things You'll Need

• 6 medium apples
• 6 Popsicle sticks
• 1 lb. semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks
• Wax paper
• Cookie sheet
• Cooking spray
• Double boiler or pan for melting chocolate
• Optional: crushed candy, cookie crumbs, chopped nuts, shredded coconut or toffee pieces

Instructions

1. 

   Wash the apples and remove stems. Push a Popsicle stick into the apple's core using the hole where the stem was removed.

2. 

   Cover a cookie sheet, tray or plate with wax paper and lightly spray it with cooking oil to prevent the apples from sticking after they have been dipped in chocolate. Set the apples on the cookie sheet and place it in the refrigerator to cool

3. 

   If necessary, cut chocolate into chunks and place in a double boiler. Slowly melt chocolate, stirring when necessary to create a smooth consistency. Remove from heat when the chocolate is warm, not hot.

4. 

   While the chocolate is melting, prepare optional coatings by breaking them into small pieces. Place the coatings in a bowl with an opening large enough for your apples and set aside.

5. 

   Once the chocolate is the correct consistency, remove the apples from the refrigerator and dunk each apple into the chocolate using the Popsicle stick as a handle. Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl/pan.

6. 

   Place the apples on the wax paper covered cookie sheet far enough apart that they won't stick together. If you are using an optional coating, gently dip the chocolate covered-apples into the coating to cover the apple's top portion. While holding the apple over the bowl, take a spoon and gently scoop additional coating onto the remaining chocolate until the apple is sufficiently covered. Place the apples on the cookie sheet.

   Refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened.

7. 

   Once the apples have chilled and the chocolate and coating are solid, individually wrap the apples in cellophane. Make sure to wrap the apples very loosely so as to prevent the paper from sticking to the chocolate. Tie off the top with ribbon or other decorative fabric.

References

• Chocolate Covered-Apples on the Food Network