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from Liberty Orchards.
This is my version of the delicious apple
and apricot gelatin candy made by the Liberty Orchards.
Aplets and Cotlets are a delicious Northwest
candy that is made with gelatin, walnuts, and apples. Developed by two Armenian
men, Armen Tertsgian and Mark Balaban, who bought an apple farm (called Liberty
Orchards) in the small town of Cashmere in eastern Washington state, Aplet and
Cotlet candies are considered a Northwest delicacy.
 Times were tough in
1918 for most orchard growers, and Tertsagian and Balaban searched for new ways to
make use of their surplus fruit. Apple dehydration seemed a logical first move,
and coinciding with America's involvement in World War I, the orchard owners
began providing apples for U.S. soldiers. After the war, they remembered the
popular eastern candy they had loved as children called rahat locum or Turkish
Delight.
After much research and development on their kitchen stove, they
perfected a delicious apple and walnut recipe that they called Aplets. In 1963,
at the Seattle World's Fair, they introduced hundreds of thousands of people
from outside the Northwest to this candy.
Northwest Apple Candy (Aplets) Recipe
Recipe Type:
Candy,
Apple,
Apricot,
Gelatin
Yields: 64 candy squares
Prep time: 25 min
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped (red or golden) Delicious
apples
Cold water
5 tablespoons reserved apple liquid
2 cups granulated
sugar
3 envelopes of unflavored
gelatin
(approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1 cup cold water
1/8 teaspoon rose culinary essence or 1 tablespoon rose flower water*
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Powdered (confectioner) sugar
* Culinary rose essence can be found in Asian or Indian grocery and spice
stores. If you are unable to find culinary essence or rose water, substitute 1
tablespoon fresh-squeezed
lemon juice.
Preparation:
Butter an 8-inch square pan.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add chopped apples and enough cold water to cover
apples by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn
heat to low and simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from
heat.
Drain off liquid, reserving 5 tablespoons apple liquid. In a food
processor, puree apples with reserved apple liquid until smooth. Return apple
mixture back to saucepan over low, add sugar and heat and stir just until sugar
is melted. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water; add to apple/sugar mixture,
stirring constantly until dissolved. Add rose culinary essence (or lemon juice) and walnuts; stir
until well blended.
Pour into prepared pan; cool at least 2 hours but preferably
overnight. With an oiled knife, cut into 1-inch squares, then roll in powdered
sugar.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Makes 64 candy squares.
Northwest Apricot Candy (Cotlets) Recipe
6 ounces dried apricots
Cold water
5 tablespoons reserved apricot liquid
2 cups granulated
sugar
3 envelopes of unflavored
gelatin
(approximately 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed
lemon juice
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Powdered (confectioner) sugar
Butter an 8-inch square pan.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add dried apricots and enough cold water to
cover apricots by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Turn heat to low and simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until
apricots are soft. Remove from
heat.
Drain off liquid, reserving 5 tablespoons apricot liquid; set aside. In a food
processor, puree apricots with reserved apricot liquid until smooth. Return
apricot mixture back to saucepan over low, add sugar and heat and stir just
until sugar is melted. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water; add to apricot/sugar mixture,
stirring constantly until dissolved. Add lemon juice and walnuts; stir
until well blended.
Pour into prepared pan; cool at least 2 hours but preferably
overnight. With an oiled knife, cut into 1-inch squares, then roll in powdered
sugar.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Makes 64 candy squares.
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