Here’s a different approach to caramel apples (also called toffee apples*): Use pretty twigs instead of the same old predictable wood popsicle/craft sticks.

The recipe comes from the book Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has a Story, by Kimberly “Momma” Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero. The book will be published on October 25th, but you can order it now.

First, send the kids to the backyard or the park in search of twigs. Look for twigs that are about five inches long, although anything from four to six inches will do.

Note that this is a quick recipe for busy mommas. If you make caramel from scratch, you’ll notice the superior taste.

And if you prefer sugar-free treats, get sugar-free caramels.
 
 
CARAMEL APPLE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. DE-STEM the apples, wash and drop into boiling water for 10 seconds. This removes any wax from the apples and helps the coating adhere. Alternatively, you can soak the apples for a few minutes in a bowl of hot tap water with a splash of vinegar (known as a “vinegar wash”) or clean them with a produce wash such as Veggie Wash, a spray solution that removes the wax from fruits and vegetables.

2. REMOVE and polish the apples dry with a soft cloth. You may also wish to let the apples air dry for an hour, to be sure all the moisture is gone. (Moisture hinders the coating from adhering properly.)

3. RINSE the twigs under water and set aside to dry.

4. LINE a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.

5. CRUSH the toppings and put them in separate bowls.

6. USE a sharp paring knife to cut a small “X” in the top of each apple where the stem was. Gently push the twig down into the center of the apple.

7. PLACE the Caramel Bits and the water in a medium glass bowl or other microwave-safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave (be careful not to burn yourself—it will be hot).

8. STIR the caramel with a wooden spoon until all the bits are melted. If necessary, heat in additional 30-second increments until caramel is thoroughly melted and smooth. Let the caramel sit 1 to 2 minutes, until it is thick enough to coat an apple. If it is runny like water, the coating will drip off the apple.

9. CAREFULLY SWIRL the apple in the caramel, making sure it is completely coated. Tilt the bowl as needed. You may need to spoon the caramel around the top rim. Let the caramel drip off the bottom of the apple onto wax paper. Then…

10. ROLL the apples in the desired topping(s). Once coated, place the apples on wax paper to set for a minimum of 30 minutes to one hour. Enjoy your twiggy treat or store it in the refrigerator.
 
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*Caramel and toffee are part of a family of butter-and-sugar confections that also includes butterscotch. Here’s the difference. Often, red candy apples, coated with a colored sugar syrup, are called toffee apples. This is incorrect. The terms caramel apple and toffee apple can be used interchangeably.

†These little caramel balls melt easily and provide the perfect consistency for caramel apples. However, you can cut up and melt full-size caramels, too. We do this with our favorite gourmet caramels, as we prefer the flavor.

Pheasant, buffalo, duck, rabbit and
venison…for dogs. Photo courtesy Evanger’s.

Canned pheasant for dogs!

Evanger’s Grain Free 100% Pheasant Canned Dog Food is made with only one ingredient: pheasant, in some pheasant broth.

The rich food is recommended as a mixed/topper. Not only is it gourmet, but it’s also great for pets with food allergies and sick dogs/fussy eaters.

And that’s not all: Canine connoisseurs can enjoy buffalo (more accurately, bison—here’s the difference), duck, rabbit and venison.

While we don’t write about products we haven’t tasted, this is the exception.

Treat your pup with a can or two. While you’re at it, get a smoked pheasant—for yourself and any other humans you’d like to treat.

At the end of the 11th century, when the Crusaders returned to Europe from the Middle East bringing ginger and other spices, gingerbread became popular in Germany.

It was baked during the Christmas season as well as for year-round festivals. It engendered a trade guild: Only guild members could bake gingerbread, except during Christmas, when anyone could bake it.

According to a reference in FoodTimeline.org, the tradition of baking gingerbread houses began in Germany after the Brothers Grimm published their collection of fairy tales in 1812.

Inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel, who nibbled at the witch’s candy-covered gingerbread house, German bakers created miniature houses from the already popular lebkuchen (gingerbread). Artists were employed to decorate the houses, which became particularly popular during Christmas.

The tradition crossed the ocean with the German immigration wave that began in 1820. But it’s only in recent years that we’ve seen gingerbread houses for Halloween.
 
 
HALLOWEEN GINGERBREAD HOUSE KITS

Halloween gingerbread houses are available in easy-to-assemble kits; Those who just want to decorate can buy pre-assembled houses.

This week, we tasted two different brands. The Wilton kit we tried was a Victorian mansion—not particularly haunted based on the kit’s contents, but you can add your own touches.

[2] A new tradition: the Halloween gingerbread house available from Wilton (photo © Wilton).

The assembled Wilton gingerbread house measures 6 inches wide by 3.5 inches deep by 9.5 inches high. It is available at Michael’s Stores and Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores. You can find it online at Amazon.com.

If you want to buy one online, here’s a haunted gingerbread house with all of the aforementioned Halloween decorations. We haven’t tasted it. If you buy one, please send us your opinion on gingerbread.

ASSEMBLY TIP: Some of our gingerbread pieces arrived cracked. This is a relatively common occurrence, but not a disaster. The same royal icing you make to decorate the house is a good mortar to “glue” the pieces together. Glue it from the back.
 
 
START A FAMILY TRADITION

Decorating a gingerbread house is a family activity that can be carried through the generations. Start the tradition and take a photo of the finished house and the participants. See how the skill at decorating changes from year to year.

If you don’t have kids but want the tradition, invite your friends to an annual Halloween tea party with the gingerbread house as the centerpiece. Here are tea party ideas for every month of the year.

Gingerbread Recipes

Candy corn is great as a garnish during the fall season in general, and Halloween in particular season.
 
 
EASY CANDY CORN GARNISHES

Cupcakes

Use candy corn as a cupcake topping. Create a circle of candy corn kernels around the rim of the cupcake. You can stand one kernel in the middle of the cupcake.
 
Or create your own patterns. It’s a fun party activity or after-dinner dessert activity for kids.
 
Jack-O-Lantern Cake

Make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and filling, and cover the sides with a mixture of candy corn and chopped nuts (if it’s a loaf cake, cover the top). Use the nuts to cover most of the cake and press in candy corn at intervals.
 
You can also use candy corn to make the eyes, nose and mouth of the Jack-O-Lantern, on the top of the cake.

For a regular iced cake, add candy corn as a cake topper.
 
Halloween Sundae

We love a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with hot chocolate sauce and sprinkled with candy corn. (Butterscotch or caramel sauces don’t provide enough contrast to the candy corn.)
 
Here’s a fun idea that decorates ice cream cones with candy corn.

 
 
RECIPE: CANDY CORN CONES

Ingredients

 
Preparation

Use a piping bag to pipe royal ice cream around the perimeter of the cone, an inch at a time. Quickly press in the candy corn. Start at the bottom (pointed end) of the cone.

Royal icing dries to the touch quickly, although a thin layer can take 4 to 6 hours to dry completely.

The process goes faster with a group: Enlist the family. Otherwise, do it in front of the TV and the task will go more quickly.
 
 
MORE CANDY CORN RECIPES

[2] Candy corn (photo Liz West | Wikipedia).

[2] How about some candy corn fudge? Here’s the recipe from The Pampered Chef.

Ascorbic acid prevents cut fruit from turning brown. Citric acid provides tart flavor. And dipping apple slices into honey is delicious. Photo by Tova Photography | IST.

One of our colleagues wondered, “What’s the difference between citric acid and ascorbic acid? Aren’t they both in lemon juice?”

Yes, but the two products are not interchangeable.

Citric acid and ascorbic acid are both found in citrus juice, as well as in numerous other fruits and vegetables. But they have different properties.

Now that you know the difference, put it to work.

Start by serving sliced apples with a honey dip or drizzle. Use ascorbic acid—dip the sliced fruit in a lemon juice-water mixture—to keep the flesh from turning brown.

For citric acid: make some lime juice cordial!