Candied Apples that you eat with a Fork!
I played around a bit this morning and decided to do a voice version of this post introduction as well. If you’d like to hear me reading this post, please click the play button below the photo. We’ll see how this works. I talk fast naturally, so if ya want you can read along 
Today I am bringing you a recipe that was shared with me by my friend Jyl, but I gotta tell y’all about Jyl for a bit because she is a hoot and a half, especially when standing next to me. You see, Jyl is from my sister state of Georgia, the north Georgia mountains to be exact, which is surprisingly where my husband comes from. I say surprisingly because anytime you meet a man who is from the north Georgia mountains but doesn’t like gravy, it’s kind of a shock, but I digress.
Jyl’s smart as a tack, got horse sense like nobody’s business, and has been helping me on the back end of things with southern plate. You see, I’m about as cluttered in the brain as they come. Unorganized, skipping from one thought to the next at warp speed, and where most people might plan their blog posts, I’m more of a kind of a “lets wake up and see what I feel like writing today” type gal.
Jyl keeps me straight. While I’m looking at scenery and planning a tea party for the occupants of my car, she reminds me that I’m also driving the train and maybe I should look towards the tracks from time to time. But the funny thing about jyl is that compared to me being pretty high strung and talking-at-housand-miles-a-minute, Jyl is laid back. It takes her a bit to get a sentence out because she thinks before she says things.
Having the personality that I do, I’m kind of baffled by someone who actually pauses in conversation to think! My mama used to say that I wake up talking and don’t draw breath until I go to bed and I reckon I couldn’t negate that, especially if there was any chance of lightning being nearby.
The first few times we talked on the phone Jyl would pause to think or take a breath (two things I don’t do) and I’d say “Jyl, you there? Did we get disconnected?” she’d take another moment just to torture me and then say in her slow mountain drawl, “Yep, I’m here”. I could feel her rolling her eyes at me on the other end.
So I had a meeting recently at my house for the big UNA event coming up. The head of the alumni association, the head of the department I graduated from, and several other folks of importance (I say this to differentiate them from myself, I’m just someone who cooks for people) came over to meet in my kitchen and talk over the event around the dinner table. It was on a Monday morning and as Ricky and the kids went off to school and jobs, Jyl and I were left to get ready for the meeting. Now Jyl is one of those folks who just pops out of bead ready. Me, I require a bit more maintenance to avoid scaring neighborhood children. So I headed off to my room to get ready, rushing as quickly as I could so I’d have time to clean up the kitchen.
And my word, did the kitchen ever need it. Dirty dishes were in the sink, muffin pans from where I’d made apple spice muffins for the meeting were on the stovetop, baking sheets were dirty from cookies over the weekend and stacked on the counter. Overall, lets suffice it to say my kitchen looked well lived in. REAL well lived in.
But you know, as more and more folks come to visit for one reason or another in connection with southern plate, I’ve had to relax a bit .you see, very few people live in a show home ad we sure don’t. I tell folks “you know how people will say, this is a real working farm? Well this is a real working house” and so I clean and tidy as best I can but I’m not exactly putting fresh cut flowers in vases and strategically arranging throw pillows in the latest fabric trends on my couch. As a matter of fact, if you ever come to my house its best if you don’t lift up a throw pillow, because I most likely stuck a wayward Polly Pocket or Lego building block under it at the last minute right before you arrived.
As I got to getting my face on, Jyl took it upon herself to clean up the kitchen for me. When I walked back in thinking my work was just beginning, it was as if the fairy godmother had just left. My kitchen was spotless. I had no idea how one person could make a room look so good in so short a time, but she had.
Everyone arrived shortly after and I ushered them into the house as we all sat down to coffee and muffins and plotted out our plan for world domination through banana pudding.
I tried to look casual as I sat there, marveling at how clean my kitchen was amid talk of tickets sold and planning the menu (Did I mention we’re feeding around fifteen hundred that night?). They left a few hours later and Jyl and I sat down with glasses of tea to relax a bit. “Jyl, I don’t know what I would have done without you today. I can’t thank you enough for all your help. My eyes got even wider with wonder as I added “Especially that kitchen.”
Jyl cocked her head to the side and looked over at me with a knowing grin as she spoke in her slow deadpan drawl..
“Well, I wouldn’t be too thankful, coz all them dirty dirty dishes you had are in the oven.”
~LAUGHS~ I about shot tea out my nose. It was priceless.
So this is Jyl’s recipe for candied apples that you eat with a fork, for those of us (myself included) who love the flavor of an old fashioned candied apple but don’t wanna put out the effort it takes to eat one. I love the taste of a good old fashioned candy apple (Mama’s recipe is in the cookbook!) but as I get older I find myself not as eager to bite into one of them. Well this is the full flavor (and then some) of a candied apple, that you eat with a fork. Jyl says sere them hot or cold and I agree, but I think my favorite is cold. Least that’s my favorite way this week. If you wanna go visit with Jyl on her blog, you can mosey on over there by clicking here. Be sure and tell her you like her way of washing dishes.
You’ll need: Four or five apples (about three cups chopped), 1/4 cup butter, and a bag of cinnamon candies (often called red hots).
I had the worst time trying to find those little cinnamon candies. I went to Wal Mart first, thinking surely they’d have them. But my Wal Mart had just rearranged everything. You know how folks get used to a store layout and it seems to make sense, so they gotta toss it up in the middle of the night just to keep ya on your toes? I finally found where they should have been, in my mind at least, and came up empty handed. Thank goodness for Krogers, they had them right there on the candy aisle and I didn’t have any problems at all. My third option would have been to try a gas station with a decent candy aisle (as they all seem to have nowadays)
Peel and chop up your apples and put them in a large skillet.
You can slice them if you like but I wanted mine to be a bit easier to eat, fork size pieces .
Pour in your candies over the apples.
and toss in that butter.
Now put this over medium to medium high heat and stir it up a bit so the butter and candies will start melting as the apples are cooking.
Right about now it looks like it is slowly contracting the chicken pox. Raise your hand if you remember cornstarch baths!
Okie dokie, here we have everything all melted and stirred up.
It’s also bubbling nicely so I’m gonna turn my head down to medium low ..
Cover it. Now reduce heat and just let it simmer until the apples are tender.
Not like..falling apart mushy, just not crunchy anymore.
Unless you like your apples falling apart mushy, in that case knock yourself out!
That is the cool thing about cooking, you do it how YOU Want to. No critics allowed!
If any happen your way, show ‘em the back door.
oooh this smells so good. Here are my finished apples
This is a great little side dish or dessert. You can serve it hot or cold. Now I served it hot the first go around and it was really really good, BUT later on I ate some of it cold and WOWEEEEE. Tasted just like a candied apple then!
Candied Apples that you eat with a Fork!
Ingredients
- 1 package cinnamon candies (1 to 1-1/2 cups)
- 4-5 apples, peeled and chopped (about three cups chopped)
- 1/4 Cup butter
Instructions
- Place apples in a large skillet. Pour candies over them and add butter. Place over medium high heat and cook, stirring often, until candies are all melted. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until apples are fork tender. Serve hot or cold.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin
Ingredients
- 1 package cinnamon candies (1 to 1-1/2 cups)
- 4-5 apples, peeled and chopped (about three cups chopped)
- 1/4 Cup butter
Instructions
- Place apples in a large skillet. Pour candies over them and add butter. Place over medium high heat and cook, stirring often, until candies are all melted. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer until apples are fork tender. Serve hot or cold.
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I make my own sunshine.
It comes from within.
The start of a day is a start of a new me.
Submitted by Joan. Submit your quote here.
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Sep 9 2010. Filed under Dessert.
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My Mom makes these every Thanksgiving and Christmas! They are so yummy! One bit of advice, don’t try to shortcut and use the pre-cut apples, they have a preservative on them and it comes out in the dish.
Ohhhhh YUMMMMMM. Christy, can you can these???????
And if you can…how long do you process them??
How fun! I love the audio
My daughter is just like you – wakes up talking and doesn’t take a breath until she sleeps!
Cinnamon Apple Rings
18/20 apples pleeled and sliced into rings or chunks
6 cups of sugar
3 cups of water
1 (9 oz. pack) of red cinnamon candies
3 drops of red food coloring (more or less)
Boil water, sugar,and candies for 3/4 minutes
Add apples and cook tilll transparent. Pack into hot jars. Process 25 minutes in water bath. Makes 4 pints.
THANK YOU!!!
Would you have a simple recipe for caramel apples..on a stick?
I’m a little confused about why she stuck your dirty dishes in the oven. Out of sight, out of mind? Oh well, at least she told you before you preheated it to cook something else!
When I do that my choices are to hide them or pretend everyone keeps dirty dishes setting around. And yes, you only have to preheat the oven once with your dirty dishes in it to remember to check the oven before you turn it on… Not that the smell of melting spatulas has ever filled my house, oh no!
My mom used to make something like this all the time!
Oh I LOVED THE AUDIO!!!!! It was fantastic!!! Please do it some more!!! I was sitting here just a smiling and then it was over
(((…like a best friend phone call was over!! Have to share something with ya….my best friend and I have a sacred promise…whoever dies first…the other one will race to her home to clean up the kitchen and bathroom…you know that is where people go first when dropping off the “food”. Girlfriend….love your website. Did you get the photos I sent from the gigantic yard sale in Hillsville, VA? Thought you would love to see those dishes…the red punch bowl set was $250 ….whew!!!!!
I love the big sale in Hillsville!
The apples look great. Might be better for my dental fillings too than the ones on a stick! I was so relieved to hear you aren’t a Martha Stewart perfectionist housekeeper. I am sometimes embarrassed and ashamed that I don’t keep a tidier house. I just always seem to find something more important or fulfilling to be doing (even if it a nap). I once saw a plaque that said a clean house is a sign of a dull mind and I tend to agree that life is so much more adventuresome than dusting.
P.S. this reminds me of Red Hot Punch, which we make at Christmas. You take a gallon of apple juice and heat it up, dump in the big bag of red hots, and simmer til they are dissolved. Serve hot- pretty, easy, and good! Looks nice in clear punch cups.
Oh my! I can’t believe you made those with red hots! This is one I just might have to try just to see what happens!
Great recipe! I’m now in the mood for the County Fair in my hometown starting this week! I’ve got to try these. Thank you Christy!
Don’t know why the audio thing didn’t work for me
. Couldn’t click on the button, the bar had zeros in it where the length of the video should have showed numbers. Not on an old computer, on a year old laptop! I usually can hear your videos.
Hey Denise! Have you tried using another browser?
Hope it works!
Gratefully,
Christy
Christy, I know you have blood sugar issues and I’m diabetic so that’s why I’m mentioning this. But feel free to ignore it all together if it’s ….. ummm you know too weird….giggle
Now I don’t wanna scare anyone, but I’m just betting you could use chayote squash for this recipe too. You see I was eating low carb ( until finances and extra relatives moving in, put a stop to it) and I found that one of our favorite recipes to go with pork chops was my version of fried apples using chayote and splenda instead of apples and sugar. I’d add a bit of black strap to mimic brown sugar and it was killer. Even added dried cranberries to make it pretty and add a bit more “umph” to it for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit. I never had much luck replacing apples with jicama in cooked dishes because they just don’t soften, but the chayote is perfect and heck it’s good for you too.
Well after saying all that, I’m betting you could do this with sugar free red hots and apples or chayote or even a combo. Just a thought, cuz that’s the way my brain works.
Mommy, Can you read me another story tomorrow? heh.. these look really good. Thanks!
Only if you eat your supper and brush your teeth without me having to ask
Reminds me of when the realtor called and wanted to show the house in 5 minutes.My BF was there and we threw things in the oven ,micro and dryer.Love the audio and videos,keep em coming.
My daughter, when she was a teen, did the same thing of cleaning our kitchen!! I came home and she had baked a “bunny cake” and the kitchen was all clean until I looked in the oven!!! ALL the baking tools and pans, bowls were stuffed in there!
LOL LOl Memories…:)
In my defense, I did rinse the ones that could go in the dishwasher and put those in there to be washed.
I only stuck the stuff that had to be hand-washed into the oven because I knew there wasn’t enough time.
I wish ya’ll could have seen Christy’s face when I said that though. It was PRICELESS!
Yum! I used to make this in a crock pot when I taught kindergarten. The kids got to help put the ingredients in then it simmered away all day and we had a yummy afternoon treat!
Be careful about that dishes in the oven trick-I did that once when I had company coming, then that afternoon I thought some banana bread would be good. I preheated the oven while I mixed it up….then started smelling something really funny. It was the plastic bowls and other things stuffed in there melting all over. My husband came home to my little boy and I sitting on the front steps with all the windows open. He had to scrape the plastic off the bottom of the oven and we had to open the windows every time we used it since it still let off plastic smells. We were finally able to get a new oven and I have never put anything in it as a hiding place again!!
sounds yummy since I love cinnamon and apples. may have to try this.
What’s going to be even funnier is when Christy starts hunting all the papers, spices, and stuff that was on the counters.
She should know to check (in order): the microwave, the dryer, the clothes washer and the bath tub (behind the drawn shower curtain!
Hi Christy, please keep doing the audios. I am from Madison, Ala, but got stuck here in Oklahoma and I so miss the Southern draw. Your voice brought back soooo many memories.
Thanks so very much!!
sorry added a “d” to the end of my name.
I love the audio ! I can’t wait to try this recipe !
Ahh…the old stuff it where they can’t see it trick! I’m a pro at that one! I would have loved to have seen you almost squirt tea out your nose…lol.
My Grandma used to make and freeze tons of pink applesauce – nothing but apples and Red Hots! I loved it as a kid, I thought she was the coolest! I’m going to have to try this version now!
Now I’m imaginin’ doing this and turning it into a crisp! I think you’ve also hit on a way to make candied appleSAUCE. Oh, my, but the wheels are workin’ overtime.
It is so nice to “HEAR” from you….It’s nice….plus all that….that accent of your reminds us we are on Southernplate.com website….Perfect….
~shes says while suddenly overwhelmed with a craving for Sweet Tea!~
btw..love the post today!!!
Jyl would have had a surprize if she opened my stove to stuff things in. It’s already full of pots and pans. LOL!
Had a feeling Jyl had used the oven to tidy up your kitchen since I didn’t figure it takes you THAT long to put your face on!!! LOL… Enjoyed the audio version, but you don’t have to get a bunch of fancy equipment ’cause I appreciate you “keepin’ it real”….Thanks for sharing Jyl’s recipe with us. Just more proof that tasty recipes can be simple to make!!
My mother in law always made something like this at Thanksgiving but I never had the recipe. YAY! I’m making some this afternoon. I found the Red Hots at the first store I went to.
I got a chuckle out of your audio today. I remember many years ago when I was first married that a friend of ours did the same thing. She had twin boys, and I always wondered how she kept everything so tidy. One evening when we were at their house for our weekly card game, she told me her secret and opened the oven door revealing tons of dirty dishes. I liked her much better after that!
loved the audio…was just right…!!! Thank you and Jyl for this fun recipe!
Bountiful Blessings!
I woke up this morning with a sore throat and am now craving ice cream. But, after reading this recipe, I’m thinking vanilla (vah-nee-la!!) ice cream with a good dose of these candied apples on top would be just the ticket. mmmm-mmm good! [ I think
]
Love your website, by the way!!
Hey Cheryl! thank you so much!
Oh goodness, it would really hit the spot on some ice cream. I gotta make that now!
Gratefully,
Christy
Are these sticky? My DD just got braces, so I try not to have things in the house that aren’t “braces friendly.” I loved the audio, I could just picture you and Jyl laughing like crazy!
They aren’t sticky at all. Its really just like a runny sauce. I was thinking they’d be sticky too but I think they’d be fine for braces, even cold!
hehehe
Thank you!
Thanks Christy!
OOOHHH>>>>>I am laughing out loud!! My kids are saying,Mom !!! That is tttooo loudd!!! That was great!
God Bless you both!
Girl – you are hilarious and appreciate your sense of humor!
Oh my what a treat these would be… I have done applesauce with the red hot candies and we love that but never thought about leaving the apples chunky.
Loved the audio too. And your friend had the best idea ever. Just train your kids when they start cooking to check the oven. My oldest daughter ( now 41) called me one day at work and asked ” Mom what was yellow in the oven” I knew right away I no longer had Tupperware fix n mix bowl. .Only mine was not dirty I just had always stored it there. And that was the only bowl big enough to do popcorn in for all the kids.
What a clever idea! And I even have a giant bag of apples. I’m going to have to try this for sure!
Can I tell you how much I love you!! I love candy apples but have avoided them because they are such a mess. You are an answer to prayers and I’m making some tomorrow! I’ve got red hots in the pantry!
Love the audio! Your voice sparkles!
I do the cookin’. If I want to hide something from my wife, I just put it in the oven, where she’ll NEVER find it.
My grandmother made these to go along with Christmas breakfast. Thank you for the recipe as we never got it from her and this will be very special for my family this year!!!!
This made me laugh out loud! My wife does what Jyl did all the time when someone is coming over – load and run the dishwasher, but put the hand wash things in the oven. The problem is she doesn’t come back right away and empty it out. I haven’t ruined anything preheating the oven…yet. Love your site!
I have put dishes in the oven! hahaha….sometimes I don’t get around to clearing everything up before my agent selling my house comes over with people to look at the house, so I just put it in the oven. She’s a bit like Jyl in a way. One day she emailed me saying could someone come see the house that day while I was at work. I left my bathroom in a mess! My clothes were all over the floor and I told her and she said no problem she’ll tidy up quickly by getting to my house a few minutes early. She folded my clothes up and hid them in one of my bathroom cupboards.
Picked up the ingredients today (sure glad you told us Kroger carries the red hots!). I’m hoping to surprise my little man when he gets home from school (2nd grade!! I can’t believe it!). Assuming my 1.5 yr old allows me the time!
I got ‘em made! I told my son you said they were better cold but he insisted he try them while they were still hot too (and by still hot, I mean, I had JUST taken them off the stovetop!) He kept going back for another proclaiming, “MMMmmm! These are GOOOOOOOD!!” haha Guess we’ve got a winner!
thanks again
I just want to say that I was so excited about making these that I made a special trip to the grocery store to get the “ingredients”. Then, I was so excited that I found the cinnamon candies that somehow I FORGOT TO BUY APPLES! Doh!
At any rate, these look great and I can’t wait to get some apples to try it!
Well Renee, you aren’t alone. I did buy the cinnamon candies ,and I did buy the apples, but the apples somehow didn’t get bagged to go home with me. So there I was with a craving for candied apples and no apples. What to do? Go back to the store? No way! I melted the candies in the butter/margaring and added a drained can of Lucky Leaf pie sliced apples. This is not pie filling, but rather slices of apples for a pie that the cook seasons. Adjustments were necessary to resize everything for 2 1/2 cups of apples and 6 oz of candies as opposed to Brach’s 9 oz bag, but it was delicious. Next time, I’ll watch to see that the apples get into the bag.
I made these yesterday and I loved them. They made it into my lunch box today, and I will be making more to take to church on Sunday for our dinner.
I just made these for the church lunch tomorrow and I’m thrilled with them! In fact, I want to wake up the kiddos because I know they would love this (don’t worry, I won’t).
Thanks!
Hello! Found your website thru the Southern Living article! Just wanted to add that I do this recipe BUT use drained pineapple chunks, and chill after cooking (I make alot at Christmas and put in canning jars and keep in the fridge for quick presents!) Delish with Christmas ham! Good luck!
I can’t wait to try these…I love apples, love FALL! My mom makes cinnamon pickles using large cucumbers (the part without the seeds, tha’ts why you need the largest cukes you can find) cinnamon candies, then puts a cinnamon stick in every jar, they are to die for!
Susan, I love those!! A friend’s mama makes them every year!
Hi Christy and Jyl: thanks so much for this recipe…it is State Fair week in NC and these really were a big hit with my afterschool kids….made me quite the hero! Love to you both