Organic Candied Apples Make Great Healthy Halloween Treats!
There are many parents who want to know what kind of healthy treats are good for Halloween. If you are going to have a party for the kids at your home; then you can make unwrapped goodies for the children and adults in attendance. Although, you can wrap items individually if you want to better ensure that your Halloween treats are sanitary and healthy for those kids who just grab with their fingers regardless of where they’ve been. Cellophane wrappers or bags are available in most local stores that sell baked goods, pastries, donuts, and candy. But health begins in the kitchen and then extends to the end presentation of the product…
The perfect product for this Halloween is the organic candied apple. Organic apples like golden delicious or granny smith are readily available in your grocery stores, Food Co-ops, and Farmer’s Markets. You can also find supplies for making the caramel sauce or the organic hard candy coating that many stores are putting out at this time of year for such an occasion. If you don’t have wooden popsticks, you can use the wooden sticks that many craft stores have in stock. If all else fails, go to that same bakery or candy store and see if they have inexpensive sticks for candied apples that can be purchased separately.
There is a coconut milk caramel sauce that is ready to use that is delicious, thick, and ideal for candied caramel apples. All you need to do is to heat it gently and dip your clean organic apples into the caramel to coat the apple completely; set it on a cookie sheet that has been lined with a silicon sheet; and let them cool gradually until set and ready for eating without drips or burning. Yes, caramel sauce can burn your fingers when you are heating it on the stove. The brand that I adore is Liefie’s Coconut Milk Caramel Sauce.
If you want to get fancy, you can chop some nuts or use coconut flakes to decorate your candied apples. Granola can also be used to give some texture and crunch to the caramel coating. If you like the blended taste of chocolate and caramel, you can use organic chocolate chips that will adhere to the caramel after the apples have cooled a little, but before the caramel is set firmly. You don’t want the chocolate chips to melt from the heat of the caramel right after dipping your apples. The other option for young children who have lost their front teeth and find that biting into an apple isn’t as easy can have frozen bananas that have been dipped into the caramel sauce or simply into some chocolate sauce before rolling it into the chopped nuts or coconut flakes. It’s a good idea to keep the frozen bananas in the freezer until the Halloween party commences to keep them from melting with the candy covering.
There are also candy suckers made with manuka honey, lemon, and ginger root that are good for kid’s immune systems and taste better than most suckers or lollipops. You can find these individually wrapped in a bag at your local Food Co-op or natural foods market. Personally, these lollipops can serve the purpose of protection from the seasonal flu or used to help shorten the length of a cold or the flu. They also make great Halloween treats to hand out to children who come to your door. But be warned, the adults may abscond with these treats before the kids ring that door bell or knock on your door, because they are really ‘good’!
If you are going to make your own caramel sauce, be careful when selecting the sweetener you use to ensure that you have thought of all of the children who are allergic to corn sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners that can cause allergic reactions. Use maple syrup, stevia, organic cane sugar, honey, agave, or even coconut sugar as a healthy alternative to the usual culprits that cause the kid’s adrenals to go crazy after a dozen or so treats. The parents of the children at your party or those who come to the door will thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Have a fun and healthy Halloween!
I found a companion article about candied apples and healthy ideas for you to get even more ideas:
