After an exhilarating softball game, nothing beats celebrating with a sweet treat that’s both delicious and creative. For my daughter’s softball team, I decided to make candy apples that resemble softballs—a fun and tasty way to commemorate making it to the championship game. I’d made several fun and cute post game snacks during the season, cakesicles in our team colors and softball candy kabobs. I wanted to make something unique, that the girls would be excited about for our final game, the championship game!
Here’s how you can make these delightful post-game snacks for your team. They look adorable, and the kids will love them!
Ingredients
Apples (I used 19 small Granny Smith apples, this made 12 fully covered softball candy apples for our team and 7 extra candy apples that were 3/4 of the way covered for some team mates siblings to enjoy)
3 cups White Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 and a half cups water
1 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons Liquid Food Whitener
1 tablespoon Yellow Gel food coloring 10 drops Cotton Candy Food Flavoring (optional)
Tools and Supplies Needed
Large Heavy Saucepan
Silicone Baking Mat
Clean Kitchen Towel
Prepare Apples
Store-bought apples have a wax coating that needs to be removed before making candy apples. The fastest and most efficient method to remove this wax coating is a quick dunk in boiling water. Boil a pot of water, add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Once it has reached a rolling boil, toss 1 apple at a time into the boiling water and remove the apple after 5 seconds. You do not want to leave the apple in for more than 5 seconds or it might start to cook and brown. Immediately after removing the apple from the boiling water, scrub the outside of the apple with a clean dish towel. Make sure the apple is completely dry. This is also a good time to remove the stem from the apple. Repeat until all of the apples are clean and dry.
Next firmly press the Lollipop Sticks into the tops of all the apples. You want to insert the stick approximately halfway into the apple, if you press too hard you risk breaking the skin on the bottom, but if you don't insert it far enough, your apple might fall off while dipping. 
Once all apples are prepped, it is time to prepare the candy coating.
Prepare Candy Coating
In a large heavy saucepan add all of your candy coating ingredients (Sugar, Water, Light Corn Syrup, and both food colorings plus any food flavoring drops if you are using them). Please note, that the white food coloring is crucial to achieving this look. Adding the white keeps the candy from being translucent. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
Once the sugar has completely dissolved, insert the Candy Thermometer. Continue cooking over medium heat without stirring until the thermometer reaches 310 degrees, this is the hard crack stage. Remove the pot from heat and quickly dip your apples.
While the candy coating is cooking, bring the prepared apples and a silicone mat close by. You will want to dip your apples quickly before the candy hardens.
Dip Apples
Hold a prepared apple by the stick and dip it into the candy coating. Swirl the apple in the coating until all sides are covered. Lift the apple out of the coating and shake the apple for 10 seconds to remove excess coating and prevent air bubbles. Place the apple on the silicone mat and quickly begin dipping the next apple. After a couple of apples, you will need to tip your pot to one side to deepen the pool of candy coating. Work quickly to dip all of your apples as the candy coating will begin to cool and harden fast!
I was able to make 12 fully covered apples for my daughter's teammates that I turned into softballs. There was still enough coating to make seven additional apples that were mostly covered. With less candy coating in the pot, it became difficult to cover the top of the apples, but this allowed the siblings on our team to still have a tasty treat even if it didn't look like a softball!
Adding Softball stitches
Leave the candy apples to cool and harden on a silicone mat. They will harden pretty quickly, but I gave them 30 minutes to fully harden before adding the red softball stitches.
Place red candy melts inside a piping bag. Place the piping bag inside a tall microwave-safe cup. Microwave the candy melts in 30-second intervals at 50% power. Squeeze the piping bag after every 30-second interval to mix the candy melts. Repeat until the candy melts are melted and smooth. Place a #4 tip inside a second piping bag. Cut a large hole in the bottom of the first piping bag and insert it into the bag with the piping tip. Two piping bags are necessary because you can not microwave the metal piping tip. If the candy melts firm up before you finish piping the stitches, you can reheat the inner bag for 30 seconds at 50% power.
Pipe a curved line for the stitches on the bottom of each apple. The pipe stitch marks along the line. Repeat on both sides of the apple, or just the front side (your choice). 
Return the apples to the silicone mat to cool and harden. The candy melts will be fully hardened in about 20 minutes. Once the stitches have hardened insert each apple into a Cellophane Treat Bag and tie it with ribbon or the included twist tie.
Keep candy apples stored at room temperature and consume within 3 days.
Clean up Tip
After you have finished making these candle apples, you may discover it is hard to wash your saucepan and candy thermometer. The candy hardens very quickly! The easiest way to clean up is to fill the pot with water, insert the candy thermometer, and bring it to a boil. The boiling water will remove all the dried-on candy and you can wash the pan normally!
These softball candy apples were a big hit at the ballpark and I'm sure your team will love them too! If you are looking for a great end-of-the-year softball gift, check out the tutorial I wrote on making Softball Travel Pillows!
I am so sad our softball season has come to an end, but I am already working on new fun softball crafts and treats for fall ball.
**I have included affiliate links to the products I used and can receive a small commission if a purchase is made after you click on a link in this tutorial. All items used in this tutorial were purchased by me and I did not receive anything in exchange.
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