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You are here: Home / Recipes / Appetizer Recipes / Easy Candy Apples

Easy Candy Apples

October 16, 2019 by Mahy, Updated September 19, 2023 29 Comments

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long pin for candy apples

This easy Candy Apples are a fabulous last minute Halloween treat, and any fun day treat! They are super easy, sweet, a classic and a favorite for all ages! You need sugar, water and food coloring (NO corn syrup!!) to make these sweet apple candy treats.

Candy Apples on a wooden stick

Spook it up with a black apple like we did here for Halloween and for extra drama on who will “bite” that black apple!

Close up of an apple

Candy Apples Without Corn Syrup

As much as we all LOVE candy apples, we all agree the corn syrup is not an appealing ingredient. However these candy apples are super appealing, delicious and a perfect excuse to get the kids busy int he kitchen!

They may look hard to make, while they are in fact easy. However, they can go wrong. If they do, you won’t enjoy them! So a few things are crucial for this recipe. More on that in the section below.

To avoid the corn syrup here, I made it myself within the recipe. So don’t worry, it’s still a one pan thing, but a candy or oil thermometer is essential.

Corn syrup if you make at home is basically sugar, water and cream of tartar boiled to a soft crack stage of 250 degrees F. If you buy this from the store, chances are it contains a ton of processed stuff you don’t need! So why is it used then?

Well the cream of tartar used in the corn syrup helps the caramel stay as smooth and soft as you can see. Otherwise when you boil sugar and water, the sugar tends to crystallize and your caramel may be “gritty”.

Now the good news is—lemon juice or vinegar will give you the same effect and keep your caramel silky smooth from crystallization. So for this easy candy apples recipe, feel free to use cream of tartar, lemon juice or vinegar and let’s skip the syrup!

Top view of four red candy apples and one black one for Halloween

How To Make Candy Apples

 

 

 

Select apples that are not waxed coated. This helps the coating stick easier on your apples. If you can’t find them, try washing the apples at home and drying them well. Apples must be dried before coating.

Also, the type of apple you start with is totally optional. I wouldn’t choose a sweet golden delicious for example since it’s already very sweet. My Dad however would because he would totally be ok with that!

A selection of apples with sick in the center ready for dipping

You’ll need a candy/oil thermometer to boil sugar and water to a perfect temperature of 300 degrees F. This temperature is KEY. This is the hard crack stage of sugar.

More than that, you’ll get a tooth breaking crunch. Less than that, you’ll get a sticky candy coating. None are pleasant with apples!

Another thing is the coating process. So once you boil the sugar, water, food coloring till the exact temperature, you’ll need to be as fast as you can dipping the apples in the sugar mixture.

This will help get a small coating only stick to the apples because a thick coating means more tooth breaking crunch—not pleasant!

A pot showing the candy thermometer and the red sugar boiling and getting ready for the apples

If you feel the sugar is hardening slightly as you are working, just heat it back on the stove for a few seconds to loosen it back again.

And finally, remember to drain any excess coating off the apple before drying the coating. Again, a thick coating is not good for you tooth!

You want those easy candy apples to have a thin delicate crunch on the outside, not a thick hard one.

Candy apples easy

Candy Apples Recipe

While this candy apple recipe is clearly Halloween themed, it certainly doesn’t have to be.

Halloween is my girls’ favorite time of the year too, they talk about it at least 3 months ahead and start counting the days. I can’t decide what their favorite part of it is, maybe the dressing up, the trick or treating, the candies and treats, the all day school party and all evening playdate, I can just say that for me it’s definitely the trick or treating!

Last week, we made these Spiderweb Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins. This week by popular demand it was candy apples.

An apple on a stick being dipped in ready boiled candy sugar

The recipe is not daunting at all, but really having an oil/candy thermometer is key. Plus keeping yourself over the pot start to finish. This one is not a recipe where you can leave it and go!

Final apples

The red color is a classic for candy apples and it just insinuates sweetness I guess. However, you can use any color! And I’ve seen many recipe with no color, just pure caramel. Still delicious!

For an even healthier candy apples recipe, use natural dried freeze berry powders for color if you can find them. We certainly prefer that, but we had only food coloring today so we used red and black. Black is obviously a Halloween thing.

picking up one red candy apple

Let the apples set on a parchment or wax paper for half an hour or so before biting into them. I would probably say that’s the hardest part of the recipe ha! Kids can hardly resist!

Storing the candy apples is a bit tricky. You need them in the fridge for maximum freshness. Likewise you need them to be well covered so they don’t catch any smells from the refrigerator.

Candy apples dipped and ready to dry on parchment paper.

I recommend placing them in a large box with a lid. However don’t forget to line your box with parchment paper so they don’t stick! Space them apart to avoid sticking too.

Finally, let them come to room temperature for about 40 minutes so the candy coating can soften a bit.

kids hands picking up rd candy apples

Ready for that bite?

A candy apple with a bite in it

Candy Apples TIPS

  • Start with your favorite type of apples. Wash and dry the apples well.
  • Have a candy/oil thermometer.
  • Watch your pot very well, and make sure to turn off the heat the exact temperature.
  • When dipping the apples, always allow excess coating to drip.
  • Place coated apples over parchment paper to avoid sticking.
  • Wait for at least 40 mins for the coating to set before eating.
  • Store candy apples i the fridge, well covered and in a box lined with parchment paper to avoid sticking.

Ok now do yourself and kids or friends a favor and make those easy candied apples and super enjoy! 🙂 Happy Halloween! 🙂

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Easy Candied Apples
4.62 from 31 votes
Print

Easy Candied Apples

This easy candy apples recipe is a fabulous last minute Halloween treat, and any fun day treat! They are super easy, sweet, a classic and a favorite for all ages! Made without Corn Syrup so it's better for you!

Course Dessert, holidays, Picnic
Cuisine American, USA
Keyword Apple recipe, Candy Apples, Candy Apples Recipe, Candy apples red, candy Apples without Corn Syrup
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Servings 8 apples
Calories 192 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

  • 8 apples
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar or 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 teaspoons food coloring red

Instructions

  1. Wash and pat dry your apples. Place a wooden stick or tree stick in the middle of each apple reaching as deep as you along the length of the apple.
  2. Make sure the apple is firmly attached to that stick.
  3. Place the apples on a parchment paper.
  4. In a medium to small pot, add the ingredients all together and place on medium high heat until it starts to boil.
  5. At that point lower the heat to medium and place a candy/oil thermometer in the pot.
  6. Allow the sugar to boil gently for approximately 12 mins until the thermometer registers hard crack stage or 300 degrees F.
  7. Remove from the heat and immediately begin dipping the apples.
  8. Tilt the pan to make dipping easier. Dip one apple at a time swirling around the sugar mixture and hold each apple onto of the pan so that any excess sugar drops.
  9. Place the cited apple on the parchment paper and repeat with the remaining apples.
  10. If the sugar mixture begins to harden or thicken up, place it back on the heat for a few seconds until it becomes runny again.
  11. Allow the apples to cool for at least 30 mins to an hour. Remove from the parchment and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Start with your favorite type of apples. Wash and dry the apples well.
  • Have a candy/oil thermometer.
  • Watch your pot very well, and make sure to turn off the heat the exact temperature.
  • When dipping the apples, always allow excess coating to drip.
  • Place coated apples over parchment paper to avoid sticking.
  • Wait for at least 40 mins for the coating to set before eating.
  • Store candy apples i the fridge, well covered and in a box lined with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Candied Apples
Amount Per Serving
Calories 192 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 3mg0%
Potassium 195mg6%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 44g49%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 98IU2%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes, Desserts, Holidays, Parties, Potluck, Recipes Tagged With: apple dessert, apples, candy apples, candy apples without corn syrup, caramel apples, easy apple recipes, easy kid recipes, fun kids recipes, Halloween, kid friendly

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alisha

    September 11, 2020 at 6:53 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! It taste exactly like the kind I purchase from my farmer’s market! I didn’t want to use corn syrup or any food coloring, It was simple and so easy to make. Just make sure you watch it. It will burn easily and quickly if you don’t keep your eye on it as I learned. Thank you again!: )

    Reply
    • Mahy

      September 23, 2020 at 10:47 am

      thanks so much Alisha! You made my day! So glad you liked these! Great tips!

      Reply
  2. S. H.

    June 30, 2020 at 2:29 am

    So I tried making these. I used fresh squeezed lemon juice and I left out the food coloring, but my sugar got pretty dark and started to smell strange before the mixture reached temp. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply
    • Ana

      July 12, 2020 at 11:40 pm

      Same happened to me. I overcooked it.

      Reply
      • Mahy

        July 13, 2020 at 6:49 pm

        Sorry to hear that Ana!

        Reply
      • Leslie

        October 20, 2023 at 3:00 pm

        4 stars
        The caramel is delicious and I used my candy thermometer and pulled it off right when it got to 300°, but my caramel was very very taffy like and not so much candy apple crunchy… What did I do wrong?!

        Reply
  3. Sonia Lopez Castillo

    April 21, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    Great!! I will try this recipe. I am allergic to corn syrup, so this is a must! Thanks

    Reply
    • Mahy

      April 23, 2020 at 10:12 am

      Let me know how you like it Sonia!

      Reply
  4. Lizet Bowen

    October 22, 2019 at 9:04 am

    5 stars
    Super delicious! and thanks for the tips on how to store them 🙂

    Reply
    • Mahy

      December 9, 2019 at 10:44 pm

      Thanks Lizet

      Reply
  5. Jas @ All that's Jas

    October 22, 2019 at 8:56 am

    5 stars
    These take me right back to my childhood! Such a great treat for kids and adults alike. YUM!

    Reply
  6. Veena Azmanov

    October 22, 2019 at 8:55 am

    5 stars
    This is so cute and creative. Love to add it as a topping on my desserts.

    Reply
  7. Angela

    October 22, 2019 at 8:52 am

    5 stars
    These are absolute perfection! So perfect for my fall table and the kids just loved them!! Great recipe, thanks so much for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  8. Jo Allison

    October 22, 2019 at 7:52 am

    5 stars
    I really like the fact that these don’t come with all the chemical nasties from the corn syrup. My kids will love making them!

    Reply
  9. Adrianne

    October 22, 2019 at 7:13 am

    5 stars
    These are so cool and perfect for Halloween!! I love that they are on a stick so it makes them so easy to eat them as well! Cheers

    Reply
  10. Beth

    October 16, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    5 stars
    These are a fabulous Fall treat that I love making with my kiddos! I love your pics too – so spooky and delicious looking!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 17, 2019 at 7:23 pm

      Thank you Beth!!

      Reply
  11. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

    October 16, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 17, 2019 at 7:23 pm

      Shadi you’ll love these!

      Reply
  12. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

    October 16, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    5 stars
    This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 17, 2019 at 7:23 pm

      So true!

      Reply
  13. Jenn

    October 16, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    5 stars
    I just tried a different recipe for candy apples this weekend and it was a disaster! Your recipe sounds SOOO much better – I think I’ll try again this weekend with this recipe!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 17, 2019 at 7:24 pm

      I know what you mean Jenn! I’ve had my share of disasters too 🙂

      Reply
  14. Paula Montenegro

    October 16, 2019 at 6:33 pm

    5 stars
    Who doesn’t love candy apples this time of year! They look amazing, especially the idea of biting into a black apple! The fact that this recipe doesn’t have corn syrup is such a plus!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 17, 2019 at 7:24 pm

      So true! I stay away from corn syrup as much as I can!

      Reply
  15. Noelle

    October 16, 2019 at 6:13 pm

    5 stars
    Oh how delicious! I love this for fall time, also a great treat to make around halloween that isnt candy!

    Reply
    • Mahy

      October 17, 2019 at 7:25 pm

      It’s exactly that Noelle! My girls love these for Halloween

      Reply
  16. Madeline

    August 12, 2018 at 7:41 am

    5 stars
    Yes!!! Thank you so much! Exactly what I was looking for ??

    Reply
    • Mahy

      August 16, 2018 at 9:39 am

      Yaay Madeline! Hope you make it soon!

      Reply
4.62 from 31 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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