Instructions

1. Rinse the apples under cool running water and let them air dry on a kitchen towel. Pull off the stems and insert a sturdy wooden skewer 2 inches deep in each.

2. Spray a wire rack with cooking spray and place it on a rimmed baking sheet or tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. You will set the candy apples on the wire rack, so any sugar coating that drips off will land on the foil for easy cleanup.

3. Add a 4:2:1:1 ratio of sugar to corn syrup to cinnamon candies to water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan to make a cinnamon-flavored heavy simple syrup. The corn syrup stabilizes the sugar and prevents it from crystallizing when it hardens. You need about 1 cup of finished candy syrup for each apple, or 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of corn syrup, 1/2 cup of cinnamon candies and 1/2 cup of water for 4 candy apples.

4. Attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan and heat it on the stove over medium heat. Heat the syrup until the sugar melts and the cinnamon candy dissolves, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Heat the syrup to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, or to the hard-crack stage, about 7 or 8 minutes, and take the pan off the stove.

6. Dip the apples in the sugar syrup one at a time, twisting each by the skewer to cover all sides. You might have to tilt the pan to cover the entire apple. Place the apples skewer-side up on the wire rack after dipping.

7. Let the apples cool for about 1 hour or until the candy shell hardens. Store the candy apples in the refrigerator and eat within 2 days.