Wash and dry the apples. Remove the stems of the apples, and then insert a dowel or stick into the stem end. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, and rub it well with olive or coconut oil.

Whisk the maple sugar, maple syrup and cider together in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, and continue boiling it until it reaches 255 to 260 F, or the hard ball candy stage. The maple sugar and syrup will smell of rich toffee when the temperature is right.

Turn off the heat, and tilt the pan so that the maple candy coating pools on one side of the pan at an angle. Working with one apple at a time, carefully dip the apples into the maple candy, swirling to entirely coat them and allowing any excess to drip into the pan. Transfer the apples to the prepared cookie sheet, and let them to cool completely until the candy has hardened, about 5 minutes.