With a sweet, candy coating and a beautiful, pumpkin face look, these Halloween Candy Apples are the perfect treat for your trick or treaters and as a dessert for your Halloween parties.
These candy apples are ridiculously easy to put together, and have the perfect crunchy, sugary coating on the outside with the deliciousness and juiciness of the apples from the inside.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Easy: My favorite part about this recipe is the fact that it is a great way to put all my apples to use, and whip up a sweet treat that celebrates the spirit of Halloween.
- Simple: With just 4 ingredients and a few minutes of kitchen time, you'll be able to make these delicious candy apples, and also tweak and play around the ingredients to bring in some variations if you want to
📋 Ingredients
You'll need just a few simple ingredients to make the Halloween candy apples.
- Orange Candy Melts (Sweet Tooth Fairy/Michaels): Are used to coat the apples, providing a vibrant orange color and a sweet, creamy taste that contrasts perfectly with the tartness of the apple.
- Black Sparkle Gel (Wiltons): Is used for decorating your candy apples, adding a spooky Halloween touch with a dash of edible sparkle.
- Craft Sticks: Serve as sturdy handles for your candy apples, making them easy to hold and enjoy.
- Apples: Provide a crisp, juicy contrast to the sweet candy coating, and their natural sweetness complements the other ingredients perfectly.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- Apple & Base Coating Options: Experiment with different apple varieties like Granny Smith for a tart twist or Honeycrisp for extra crunch. For the coating, try traditional hard candy, a rich caramel layer, or even chocolate for a unique variation.
- Decorative Toppings & Additions: Enhance your candy apples with fun, spooky toppings such as crushed nuts, colorful sprinkles, or edible glitter. Consider adding candy eyeballs, spider decals, or using colored drizzles (like dark chocolate or red candy syrup) to create eerie faces and designs.
- Creative Presentation Ideas: Elevate the Halloween theme by arranging your decorated apples on a themed platter, or serve them with a side of dipping sauces like caramel or chocolate fondue. You could even add a bit of dry ice for a foggy, spooky effect during your Halloween celebration.
🔪How to Make Halloween Candy Apples?
- Step 1: Melt the orange candy melts in a bowl as directed on the package. Prepare apples.
- Step 2: Place the stick into the apple. It's best to go a little sideways as the core of the apple is tough. Dip the apples in a bowl and set them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
- Step 3: Once dry, draw on the pumpkin face. I used the Halloween 2018 movie pumpkin. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Ready to try your hands at these Halloween candy apples? Here are some tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind.
- You can use almost any kind of apples for this recipe. I love making these using Granny Smith apples and green apples in specific, because they have have the best flavor and crunch factor, in my opinion.
- If you're using the double boiler method to melt the candy melts, make sure you keep stirring it and melt the candy on medium heat to medium high heat.
- You can also bring in a bit of variation to this recipe by dipping half of the apple in the candy coating, and half of the apple in a caramel mixture made by melting granulated sugar, some gel food coloring, corn syrup and a bit of vanilla extract.
- I also love making caramel apples by coating any remaining apples that I may have in a hot sugar mixture with a bit of food coloring added in. If you're planning on doing this yourself, you may want to use a candy thermometer to keep an eye on the sugar mixture and ensure that it starts to form brittle threads.
- I used a tube of gel food coloring to make the face detailing for the pumpkin. If you don't have this, you can make do with a pastry brush dipped in black food coloring.
- If you don't want to try this recipe with whole apples, you can also use apple slices instead. Just remember to rub them with a bit of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
- Remember to wash apples in hot water to get rid of any wax coating that it may have.
💭 FAQs
Granny Smith apples are often recommended due to their tart flavor and firm texture, which contrast well with the sweet candy coating. However, other firm apples like Honeycrisp or Fuji can also be used. It's important to wash and thoroughly dry the apples before coating.
To prevent bubbles in the candy coating, ensure the apples are clean and dry before dipping. Using a wet pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals from the sides of the saucepan during cooking can also help. Allowing the candy to rest off the heat for a few minutes before dipping can help dissipate air bubbles.
Candy apples are best consumed shortly after preparation. If you need to store them, place them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Avoid refrigerating, as moisture can cause the candy coating to become sticky.
Yes, you can customize your candy apples by adding toppings such as chopped nuts, sprinkles, or drizzles of melted chocolate. Apply these toppings immediately after dipping the apples while the coating is still wet to ensure they adhere properly.
Regardless of whether you're making candy apples or caramel apples, remember that they are best consumed the same day when you make them. Apples tend to lose moisture and start to get soft, even if your let them stay at room temperature or pop them in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Spooky Halloween Candy Apples:
- Arrange the candy apples on a decorated platter with additional Halloween treats for a festive display.
- Create a DIY candy apple station where guests can add extra toppings like nuts, sprinkles, or drizzle sauces.
- Pair the apples with a dipping sauce—such as caramel or chocolate—for a delightful sweet and crunchy treat.
🍜 Related Recipes
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Spooky Halloween Candy Apples
Ingredients
- 1 bag orange candy melts sweet tooth fairy/michaels
- 1 tube black sparkle gel Wiltons
- 3 large craft sticks
- 3 apples
Instructions
- Melt the orange candy melts in a bowl as directed on the package. Prepare apples.
- Place the stick into the apple. It's best to go a little sideways as the core of the apple is tough.
- Dip the apples in a bowl and set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking paper. If you don't have parchment paper, you can just cover a cookie sheet with some cooking spray.
- Once dry, draw on the pumpkin face. I used the Halloween 2018 movie pumpkin.
- Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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