The Best Thing at Early Fairs
by Martha Rogers
I attended the State
Fair of Texas in Dallas every year I was in school and many times after that. Besides
the rides, I loved the food we found there from cotton candy to funnel cakes.
Now, everything from butter to Oreos is fried.
As I researched my book
about the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, I ran across interesting facts about
one of my favorite treats from my youth. Candy apples are a staple at most
fairs either with the hard candy coating or the smooth caramel one.
The traditional red
candy apples we see today are said to have been invented by William W. Kolb, a
New Jersey candy-maker, in 1908. While experimenting with red cinnamon candy he
made for Christmas, he dipped some apples into the mixture and displayed them
in his candy shop. They sold for 5 cents each and became an almost instant hit.
It didn’t take long for the treat to spread across New Jersey and then to
circuses and candy shops nationwide.
Candy makers began
experimenting with colors and coatings which is how the caramel or taffy apple
was born.
Here are examples of some of the colors which all
have a different flavor as well.
The caramel apple came along in the 1950swhen Dan Walker experimented with Kraft caramels and apples. He simply melted down left over caramels and dipped apples into the mixture.
Here are examples of some of the colors which all
have a different flavor as well.
The caramel apple came along in the 1950swhen Dan Walker experimented with Kraft caramels and apples. He simply melted down left over caramels and dipped apples into the mixture.

flavors as well as the aforementioned colors for the coatings. Still, the traditional color for candy apples is red and cinnamon flavored. Coney Island vendors developed a softer coating and flavored it with Cherry. These are referred to as Jelly Apples.
One of my favorites is the nut covered one seen below.
Fun Facts about Candy
Apples: https://bit.ly/2ISn5iN
International Independent Showmen’s Museum
1. Candy apples are of the hard candy
coating variety, not caramel or toffee.
2. They’ve been around over a hundred
years.
3. The first ones were for display only
by Kolb in his candy store.
4. Candy apples are easiest to make in
the fall not only because of the apple harvest, but also because of the lower
humidity.
5. Traditional candy apples are
cinnamon flavored.
6. In the first half of the 20th
century, candy apples were given out for trick-or-treat. This practice stopped
in the 1970s when people began adding dangerous things like razor blades to the
apples.
7. Candy apples sweeten holidays around
the world. They’re not just American.
8. Certain apples, like Fuji or Granny
Smith, are better suited for the treat. They are crisp and hold up better with
the coating.
9. They may be healthier than you
think, but it depends on what you put into the coating while making it.
You probably own
something or have owned something that got its color name from the candy. Candy
apple red was and still is a favorite color for cars and other things like
fingernail polish, helmets, and even bicycles.
The coating is usually a
combination of sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon candies and red food coloring which
is cooked to a hard crack stage. The apples are then dipped into the mixture
and set aside to allow the gel to cool and harden around the apple.
Recipe for Candy Apples from the
Just A Taste website
https://www.justataste.com/candy-apples/
12 Granny Smith or Fuji Apples
12 lollipop or popsicle sticks
3 cups white sugar12 Granny Smith or Fuji Apples
12 lollipop or popsicle sticks
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
You will need a good candy thermometer as well
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash and thoroughly dry the apples
(See Kelly's Notes below). Insert the lollipop sticks or popsicle sticks so
that they are firmly positioned in the apples. Set the apples aside on a cookie
sheet lined with wax paper and coated with cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup and
water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil and
cook the mixture until a candy thermometer reaches 300ºF (the hard crack
stage).
Remove the candy mixture from the
heat and carefully stir in the red food coloring (it may splash, so stand
back). You may have to add more than the designated ½ teaspoon, depending on
the quality and strength of your food coloring.
One by one, carefully dip the apples
into the candy mixture, swirling to coat them thoroughly and allowing any
excess to drip back into the pan. Transfer the coated apples to the prepared cookie sheet and allow them to cool until the candy has fully hardened.
Martha Rogers is a multi-published author and writes a weekly
devotional for ACFW. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston, Texas where they are active
members of First Baptist Church. They are the parents of three sons and
grandparents to eleven grandchildren and great-grandparents to four, soon to be
five. Martha is a retired teacher with twenty-eight years teaching Home
Economics and English at the secondary level and eight years at the college
level supervising student teachers and teaching freshman English. She is the Director of the Texas Christian Writers
Conference held in Houston in August each year, a member of ACFW, ACFW WOTS
chapter in Houston, and a member of the writers’ group, Inspirational Writers
Alive.
Many people slice the apple rather than try to bite into the hard candy outer coating. It's easier on the teeth, too.
What are your favorite foods at the fair or a carnival?

Find Martha at:
www.marthawrogers.com
Thanks for the info on candy apples! My favorite fair food has always been fried dough, and a close tie to that is the hand squeezed lemonade where they put the lemon right in the bottom! Thanks too for making me hungry this morning!
ReplyDeleteMade me hungry, too. This year at Halloween I'm going to try my hand at candy apples for my grandchildren. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI love your post and I always love the corny dog at the fair.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. I can't go to a fair or carnival without getting a corny dog and a funnel cake. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI was never a big fan of candied apples, probably because I hate being sticky. My favorite fair foods is buttery corn on the cob and chocolate-covered cheesecake on a stick. Mmm...
ReplyDeleteI had to cut my up so I could eat them. I wonder why things like corn on the cob with butter dripping off tastes so much better at the fairgrounds?
ReplyDeleteMy favorites are turkey legs and funnel cakes...not necessarily in that order :-)
ReplyDeleteMartha, thank your for sharing about candy apples. Growing up eating candy apples at the fair was always a delicious treat. Now, I prefer the caramel apples.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Tina
Yes, mine as well. Candy apples are a little hard on the teeth. :)
Delete