Apples and chocolate are a perfect match, and there are as many ways to combine them as there are bakers (amateur and professional)! Whether for an afternoon snack for children or an elegant dessert, impress your guests with these two simple recipes.
Ingredients
- 150 g of caster sugar
- 20g of flour
- 60g of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 210 ml of milk
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) of unsalted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 ml) of vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 10 to 15 ice cream sticks
- 6 well-washed apples
- 6 beautiful apples
- 500 grams of your favorite chocolate
- Ingredients to add flavor (nuts, sweets...)
Prepare the base of your chocolate sauce [1] . In a bowl, combine caster sugar (150 g), flour (20 g), and unsweetened cocoa powder (60 g). Using a fork or whisk, stir these ingredients together. Even if they clump, continue stirring until the mixture is completely smooth.
Prepare the liquid part of the chocolate sauce. In a saucepan, heat a mixture of milk (210 ml), unsalted butter (30 g), and liquid vanilla extract (about one teaspoon) over medium heat. Stir slowly until the butter has completely melted.- Add a little more vanilla for a more pronounced flavor. Be careful not to overdo it, though!
Combine your two previous preparations. Slowly pour the dry ingredients into the saucepan. Stir continuously to prevent lumps from forming and to ensure a smooth sauce. If you pour in all the dry ingredients at once, you risk creating a flour bomb!
Leave the sauce on medium-high heat. Stir it constantly so it doesn't burn. After five to six minutes, remove the pan from the heat and add a pinch of salt to enhance the chocolate sauce's flavor [2] .
Grind barley sugar sticks into powder. There are different ways to do this depending on what you have available.- The quickest and most efficient method is to use a mortar and pestle. Break the barley sugar sticks into small pieces and place them in the mortar. Crush a small amount at a time with the pestle. This will reduce the barley sugar to flakes or powder.
- You can use larger tools like a hammer or a meat tenderizer (used to tenderize meat before cooking). Place the candy canes in a freezer bag. Break them apart beforehand if necessary. Seal the bag, place it on a stable surface, and crush the candies with your chosen tool.
- You can use other utensils depending on the hardness of the candy canes. Be creative, but careful.
Peel and slice the apples. Using a peeler, carefully peel the apples to avoid injury. Place the apples on a clean surface and slice around the core. This will give you slices that you can use as is. Cut them into wedges of your desired thickness.
Coat the wedges with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with barley sugar. Arrange them on a plate or on aluminum foil, depending on the occasion. Now you can pair them with the chocolate sauce as you wish.- Cover the wedges completely or partially with chocolate sauce by dipping them in it.
- Spoon the chocolate sauce over the apple slices. For a light and elegant finish, use quick, sweeping motions with the spoon to drizzle the sauce in a thin stream over the apple slices.
- Sprinkle with barley sugar. This will stick to the chocolate sauce.
- You can also let your guests choose! Prepare a bowl of chocolate sauce and another of barley sugar (powdered or in fine flakes). They can then dip an apple slice into their preferred topping.
- Some people prefer a thicker chocolate sauce. To achieve this consistency, chill the sauce before serving.
Wash and dry the apples. A candied apple is a lollipop-shaped confection made from an apple coated in cooked sugar. But you can adapt the recipe by replacing the sugar with chocolate. Granny Smith apples are particularly well-suited to this preparation, as they pair perfectly with chocolate. However, you can choose any apple variety you prefer. Remove any labels and wash the apples thoroughly to remove any chemicals and bacteria from their skins. Then dry them with a clean cloth.
Insert a wooden stick into the apple. This will allow you to enjoy the chocolate-covered apple like a lollipop. The apple is a firm fruit, but easy to work with. Remove the stem and insert the wooden stick in its place.
Buy the chocolate (500g). Baking chocolate comes in various forms: ready-to-use pistoles (thin discs), bars to break apart, blocks to cut with a knife... Choose the form you prefer to work with. Use a sharp knife if you need to break the chocolate into pieces.- If the chocolate bar has grooves, you can break it by hand or with a knife.
- The smaller the pieces, the easier they melt. Keep this in mind when you chop your chocolate into pieces.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. This is the most important step. If you melt the chocolate too quickly, it will burn, ruining your entire recipe. A double boiler is the ideal way to melt chocolate without any mishaps, thanks to the steam that gently acts on the pieces. For a double boiler, you will need a large saucepan and a smaller one, or a large, heatproof bowl.- Fill the large saucepan with water. Avoid adding too much water to prevent it from boiling over. Also, it's best if the water doesn't touch the bottom of the container that will hold the chocolate. Heat over low to medium heat until the water is just simmering. The water shouldn't get too hot, or your chocolate will become dull and grainy.
- Place the small saucepan or salad bowl inside the large saucepan.
- Place the chopped chocolate in a small saucepan or bowl. You can either put the chocolate in the container first and then place it in the pan of simmering water.
- Under the effect of the steam created by boiling, the pieces of chocolate melt slowly.
- When the chocolate is half melted, slowly whisk it to obtain a smooth and glossy sauce. This also helps speed up the process.
- When your chocolate sauce is ready, turn off the heat.
Dip the apples in the chocolate. Take the apple by the stick and roll it in the chocolate, directly in the double boiler. Make sure the apple is completely coated in chocolate.
Decorate. If you want to add other toppings or decorations to your candied apple, do so immediately after coating it in chocolate. Depending on the chosen element, you can dip the candied apple in it or sprinkle it on top. Let your imagination run wild when decorating your candied apples: crushed hazelnuts, chocolate pearls, candy cane shards...
Arrange the apples on parchment paper and refrigerate. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Place the apples on the sheet, stem side up. Refrigerate for at least fifteen minutes. Once the chocolate has hardened, serve your guests!
Tags:
Baking