1. Grease a jelly-roll pan well with vegetable shortening and set aside. 

2. Clean and dry the apples well. Remove the apple stems and carefully punch a guide hole for the twigs with a knife or skewer. Insert twigs into guide holes, and lift each apple to make sure each can securely be picked up. Set aside. 

3. Combine the corn syrup, water and sugar in a medium saucepan with a handle. Heat at medium-high until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bring mixture to a boil.

4. The sugar mixture will take about 20-25 minutes to reach 302 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. This is known as the hard-crack stage. I highly recommend you use a thermometer, but if you want to tempt fate you can use a glass of cold water to gauge the hardness of the sugar. I've tried this in the past, with disastrous results. 

5. Once the correct temperature has been reached, remove the pan from the burner and add the maple flavoring. Mix well. 

6. Dip apples, one at a time, swirling until completely coated in syrup. Hold apples above saucepan to let excess candy drain off. As you work, you may need to tilt the saucepan to pool the candy to one side. This will help ensure all apples get a full coating as your mixture gets lower. 

7. Place the apples on the prepared jelly-roll pan and allow to dry. 

Photo: Heather Baird