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–+ servings
My candy apples recipe will bring back all those wonderful nostalgic childhood memories from summer fairs or bonfire night. Crisp juicy apples coated in a crunchy sugar shell, a perfect (slightly healthy!) treat! Recipe by movers and bakers
5 from 1 vote

How to Make the BEST Candy Apples

Shiny cracking sugar encasing crisp juicy apples, candy apples are a favourite for good reason!
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400 g (1 ¾ cups) granulated sugar
  • 80 ml (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) water
  • 0.5 tsp vinegar/lemon juice
  • 1.5 tbsp golden syrup
  • red food colouring
  • 10 small apples

Instructions

Prepare the apples

  • The day before you want to make the candy apples is when you prepare the apples themselves. First line a baking tray with parchment paper and set it aside.
  • Place the apples in a large bowl and pour over some boiling water. Leave to sit for about 10 seconds, then use a clean kitchen towel, rub the skin of the apples vigorously to remove any wax on the surface. Dry the apples thoroughly, then place on the prepared baking tray. Pop the tray in the fridge for the apples to chill and thoroughly dry out overnight.
  • The following day, remove the apples from the fridge and push a stick most of the way through from the stalk end of each apple. Make sure to dry off any of the juices that come out of the apples so the fruit is completely dry. Place the apples back in the fridge whilst making the sugar coating.

Make the candy coating and get dunking!

  • Place the sugar, water and vinegar/lemon juice in a large saucepan. Pop the lid on the pan, then place on a medium-low heat to allow the sugar to dissolve. This takes about 10 minutes. Prepare a bowl with water and a pastry brush during this step.
  • Add in the golden syrup, and give it a swirl to mix in, then place the thermometer in the pan. DO NOT STIR after this stage. Turn the head up to a medium-high and let the mixture bubble. If you need to get any bubbled mixture off the sides, dip the brush in some water and brush the sides of the pan, letting the water drip down and wash the sugar back into the pan. Let the mixture heat until it reaches 150C/300F or hard crack on the thermometer.
  • While the sugar mixture is bubbling away, prepare your working area with the apples. Remove the tray with the apples on and keep handy. Place a heat proof mat next to the tray to place the pan on during apple coating.
  • Once it has reached hard crack stage, remove from the heat and swirl through the red food colouring. Allow the bubbles to settle for a few minutes, then the fun can begin!
  • Place the pan on the heatproof mat and pick up one of the apples by the stick. Tip the pan to bring the sugar syrup to one corner of the pan, then dip the apple in and twirl it in the mixture until it is entirely covered in sugar. Let the excess drip off, gently smoothing any extra off the bottom of the apple against the rim of the pan. Place the coated apple back on the tray and repeat with the remaining apples. Leave the apples to set for a few minutes after dipping, then enjoy!

Notes

  • Clean apples are your friend when making any coated apples! This means not just clean, but entirely without any waxy coating or moisture of any sort. Boiling water helps melt the common waxy layer on the outside of store-bought apples. Rubbing them vigorously helps remove all the wax, but don't be surprised if you notice the apples going a little brown after this step! This is a common result of removing the wax, but it will not affect the apples or the finished results, I promise!
  • Dry really thoroughly! Any moisture remaining on the apples will turn to steam once dipped in the sugar, creating bubbles and spoiling the beautiful smooth, glass-like finish. Check the top and bottom, where there are spaces for water to sit unnoticed.
  • Ensure the sticks used are really well anchored in the apples. These are what you will be holding when dipping the apples, so really important that they don't slip!
  • Putting the lid on when dissolving the sugar helps with not needing to brush down the sides of the pan as the water drips back down off the lid. This makes dissolving the sugar soooooo much easier than without a lid, trust me!
  • Once you start bubbling the sugar mixture, avoid stirring at all costs! Even adding in the extra ingredients, just swirl them through and then brush down the sides with the wet pastry brush and all will be well.
  • Remember when dipping the apples that hot sugar can burn badly. Please be very careful and ensure the pan is resting on a secure, flat surface and that you have a good grip on the pan handle as well as the apple stick.
  • If the candy mixture gets too cool and thicker, making it harder to coat the apples, just reheat it gently again until it is liquid enough to work with. Remember if you reheat it that you must allow time for the bubbles to dissipate to avoid having bubbles trapped on the apple coating.
    • Author: Andrea
    Calories: 233kcal
    Course: Autumn
    Cuisine: American, British
    Keyword: Candy Apples, Crunchy, Halloween Candy Apples, Hard crack stage, No-bubble candy apples, Red Candy Apples, Washing wax off apples

    Nutrition

    Calories: 233kcal