Easy Homemade Candy Apples
These Easy Homemade Candy Apples are the perfect sweet fall-inspired treat that only requires 5 ingredients and about 5 minutes to make from scratch! They’re sweet and crunchy with a vibrant red color – loved by all ages!
Serve these delicious and juicy candy apples at parties or holiday gatherings as an alternative to mainstream candy. They’re also super cute when sealed in clear bags and decorated with ribbons and gift tags.
Variations of Candy Apples
Spooky Apples:
- Use black food coloring instead of red and add some edible glitter for a spooky, galactic effect.
- Attach candy eyes or gummy worms before the coating sets for a creepy-crawly look.
Chocolate Drizzle:
- Once your candy apples have set, melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the apples for an additional flavor.
- You can also dip them halfway into melted chocolate for a dual-flavored treat.
Mini Candy Apples:
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- Use a melon baller to create mini apple balls, insert toothpicks, and dip them for bite-sized candy apples.
Safety:
- Hot Sugar Caution: Be extremely cautious with the hot sugar mixture as it can cause severe burns.
- Kid’s Safety: Ensure children are at a safe distance during the candy-making process.
This candy apple coating contains sugar, light corn syrup, water, and red food coloring.
You can use your favorite type of apple when making homemade candy apples. Tart Granny Smith Apples are my favorite, but Fuji, Jazz, and Gala apples are all great options.
Candy apples can be stored at room temperature in sealable cellophane bags or an airtight container for 3-5 days. These homemade candy apples can also be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
To minimize bubbles on your candy apples, try not to stir the sugar mixture once it starts boiling. For streaks, Ensure the food coloring is well mixed to avoid streaks on the finished apples.
Recipe Notes:
Apples – Apples are the main component of this recipe, providing a juicy, sweet, and slightly tart flavor that contrasts wonderfully with the sweet candy coating. Different varieties offer various levels of sweetness and tartness.
Sugar – sugar is crucial for creating the sweet, crystalline exterior of the candy apples. It dissolves in the water and corn syrup, then recrystallizes as it cools, forming the hard candy shell.
Light Corn Syrup – In candy apples, corn syrup helps to prevent the sugar from crystallizing during cooking, ensuring that the candy coating is smooth and glossy.
water
red food coloring – The classic candy apple is known for its bright, glossy red exterior. Red food coloring is used to achieve this iconic look, making the perfect candy apple.
Candy Apple Recipe
- Wash and dry your fresh apples; if your apples have a wax coating, dip them in boiling water to remove the wax.
- Insert lollipop sticks into tops of apples, being sure to make it about halfway down.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine sugar, water and corn syrup into heavy bottom pot. On medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil.
- Using a candy thermometer, keeping the heat on medium, cook the mixture until it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (the hard crack stage).
- Remove the mixture from heat and stir in red food coloring. Carefully dip each whole apple into the mixture, swirling to cover the entire apple.
- Allow the excess candy mixture to drip back into the pan before moving the apples to the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Allow the apples to cool completely before serving.
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Easy Homemade Candy Apples
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Ingredients
- 10 medium apples
- 3 cups sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon red food coloring
Instructions
- Wash and dry apples; if your apples have a wax coating, dip them in boiling water to remove the wax.
- Insert lollipop sticks into tops of apples, being sure to make it about halfway down.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine sugar, water and corn syrup into heavy bottom pot.
- On medium heat, bring mixture to a boil.
- Using a candy thermometer, keeping the heat on medium, cook the mixture until it reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (the hard crack stage).
- Remove the mixture from heat and stir in red food coloring.
- Carefully dip each apple into the mixture, swirling to cover the entire apple.
- Allow the excess candy mixture to drip back into the pan before moving the apples to the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Allow the apples to cool completely before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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