Andrew met Celia during freshman orientation at the Rochester Institute of Technology where they are both getting their baccalaureate degrees. Andrew is now in his 4th year of a 5 year dual engineering degree. Celia is getting her degree in Glass & Glass Sculpture and graduating next May. The trip they had both signed up to participate in during orientation back in 2009 was an 180 mile bike trip to Niagara Falls. Both Andrew & Celia made the intense 3 day round trip with no problem.
RIT Freshman Orientation Bike Trip to Niagara Falls, 2010.
Celia comes from a very creative & talented family. They make these caramel & candy apples for special occasions. The Garlands came up with the idea when they were searching for an alternative large group activity to making gingerbread houses at Christmas. With the apples, everyone gets their own treat and they taste way better than gingerbread! I like to make these for Halloween when the apples are freshest and the caramel wraps are readily available at the grocery store. They’re a great (messy) activity for a Halloween party!
Andrew as Superman, Halloween, 1996.
Garland’s Gourmet Apples
Garland’s Gourmet Apples (recipe by Michelle & Celia Garland) Total Time Required: 2-1/2 hours, Makes: 5 gourmet apples, 20 2-slice servings
- 5 large Granny Smith apples
- 2 packages caramel apple wraps (in the produce section of grocery stores)
- 1-1/2 pounds of rolled fondant (homemade or purchased at a craft store in the cake decorating aisle)
- 1 pound candy or coating chocolate
- assorted toppings like crushed Oreos, chopped candy, flaked coconut, chopped nuts
- Twizzlers, M&Ms, and other candies make great faces & hair
Up to a Week Ahead of Time: Make fondant to cover 5 apples:
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 9 tablespoons light corn syrup
In the large mixing bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, cream the shortening until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until it is crumbly. Gradually beat in the corn syrup on low speed. The mixture will be very stiff. Store the fondant in a plastic bag at room temperature until needed. This can be made up to a week ahead of time.
Make the fondant up to a week ahead of time.
The Day Before: Remove the stem from the apples. Wash and dry the apples very well the day before making the gourmet apples and leave them upside down on a paper towel so that there is no moisture left in the hole where the stem was.
Making the Apples: Wrap the prepared apples with 2 pieces of caramel sheets, overlapping the sheets and sealing the edges together.
Use 2 sheets of caramel for large apples.
Roll out ~5 ounces of fondant between sheets of waxed paper into an 8- or 9-inch circle. Wrap the caramel apple in the fondant, sealing the edges together.
Roll our some fondant and wrap the caramel covered apples in it.
Coat a small section of the apple at a time with chocolate, rolling it in the desired topping as you go.
Coat the covered apples in chocolate and roll them in the desired topping.
Set the apple on waxed paper to allow the chocolate to harden.
When the chocolate is hardened, wrap the apples in plastic wrap. The gourmet apples can be kept at room temperature.
So many choices for toppings! From left to right: chopped peanuts, chopped M&Ms, chopped Butterfingers.
To serve the apple, cut it into eighths, removing the core and being careful not to knock off the coatings.
Truly delicious!
No tricks, just awesome treats! ~Linda
Garland’s Gourmet Apples (recipe by Michelle & Celia Garland) Total Time Required: 2-1/2 hours, Makes: 5 gourmet apples, 20 2-slice servings
- 5 large Granny Smith apples
- 2 packages caramel apple wraps (in the produce section of grocery stores)
- 1-1/2 pounds of rolled fondant (homemade or purchased at a craft store (in the cake decorating aisle)
- 1 pound candy or coating chocolate
- assorted toppings like crushed Oreos, crushed candy, flaked coconut, chopped nuts
- Twizzlers, M&Ms, and other candies make great faces & hair
Up to a Week Ahead of Time: Make fondant to cover 5 apples:
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 3-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 9 tablespoons light corn syrup
In the large mixing bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, cream the shortening until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until it is crumbly. Gradually beat in the corn syrup on low speed. The mixture will be very stiff. Store the fondant in a plastic bag at room temperature until needed. This can be made up to a week ahead of time.
The Day Before: Remove the stem from the apples. Wash and dry the apples very well the day before making the gourmet apples and leave them upside down on a paper towel so that there is no moisture left in the hole where the stem was.
Making the Apples: Wrap the prepared apples with 2 pieces of caramel sheets, overlapping the sheets and sealing the edges together.
Roll out ~5 ounces of fondant between sheets of waxed paper into an 8- or 9-inch circle. Wrap the caramel apple in the fondant, sealing the edges together.
Coat a small section of the apple at a time with chocolate, rolling it in the desired topping as you go. Set the apple on waxed paper to allow the chocolate to harden.
When the chocolate is hardened, wrap the apples in plastic wrap. The gourmet apples can be kept at room temperature. To serve the apple, cut it into eighths, removing the core and being careful not to knock off the coatings.