Recipes with apple and caramel

Caramel Apples

Caramel from scratch is easy! And apples dipped in delicious homemade caramel sauce are perfect for Halloween!

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Caramel apples are one of those things that are as much fun to make as they are to eat! I made this batch with my goddaughter Piper with apples she had picked at a nearby orchard.

The last time I made caramel apples with young Piper she was barely 4 years old, and she covered her apple with pink sprinkles.

This time, we kept our homemade caramel apples simple and unadorned, but you could easily dress them up with chopped nuts, raisins, M&Ms, or candy sprinkles.

What Kind of Apples Work Best?

For caramel apples you want an apple that is firm, tart, and crisp. Tart apples will especially help balance the sweetness of the caramel. Granny Smith, Jonagold, Cortland, Fuji, and Empire apples all work well.

For more information on which apple varieties are best for baking, check out our Guide to Apples.

That said, feel free to experiment! If you have a favorite apple that you think will work well with caramel, try it, and let us know how it works for you in the comments.

Making the Caramel From Scratch

Many recipes for caramel apples just take caramel candies and melt them to make the caramel coating. I prefer to make the caramel sauce from scratch. The taste is phenomenal (no worries about what to do with the leftover sauce, it will get eaten up quickly) and it really isn’t hard to make.

It’s just sugar, butter, cream, corn syrup, molasses, vanilla, and salt. It comes together right on the stovetop.

In addition to the base ingredients, the one thing you do need is an accurate candy thermometer or instant read thermometer (though at least one reader—see comments—has winged it without one).

A Word About Corn Syrup and Molasses

Why the corn syrup in the caramel? Corn syrup is an «invert sugar» that helps prevent the sugar in the caramel from crystallizing, and it also helps to soften the caramel. Dark corn syrup is bolder in flavor than light corn syrup, with molasses notes, so use it instead of light corn syrup if you can.

If you don’t have access to molasses, you can substitute the sugar and molasses with one cup and one tablespoon of dark brown sugar, packed.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Caramel Apples

• Remove the wax coating: Apples from the store often have a wax coating on them which should be removed before attempting to coat them in caramel. To remove, dip the apples in boiling water mixed with a splash of vinegar for a few seconds, remove and thoroughly dry.
• Make sure apples are dry: Caramel will stick to apples best if the fruit is dry and at room temperature.
• Leave a little space near the top: Don’t completely submerge your apples in the caramel. The apples will naturally out-gas near the stem, and if they are covered with caramel, bubbles will form.
• Doubling this recipe: This recipe will double easily. If you do that, use a 4-quart pot to make the sauce.

Make Ahead and Store

You can easily make the caramel apples ahead of time. Caramel apples should not be stored at room temperature. Refrigerate them and store them chilled for up to two weeks. Let them come to room temperature to serve; the caramel will be more pliable at room temp and the apples easier to eat.

More Do-It-Yourself Candied Treats!

Caramel Apples

Apples from the store often have a wax coating on them which should be removed before attempting to coat them in caramel. To remove you can dip the apples in boiling water mixed with a splash of vinegar for a few seconds, remove and thoroughly dry.

Ingredients

• For the caramel:
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon dark molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
• 6 medium apples (rinsed and patted dry, room temperature)
• For the toppings:
• Assorted decorations (such as chopped nuts, chopped raisins, mini M&M’s and candy sprinkles)

Method

Place sugar, butter, cream, corn syrup, molasses, vanilla, and salt (omit if using salted butter) in a thick-bottomed 3 to 4-quart saucepan. Heat on medium to medium low heat and stir slowly with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. If you see sugar crystals on the edge of the pan, brush them down with a wet pastry brush.

Let the caramel mixture come to a rolling boil, adjusting the heat so that the caramel doesn’t boil over the pan. Continue to stir in a slow figure-eight pattern with a wooden spoon.

Monitor the temperature of the caramel with a candy thermometer. When it reaches 240°F (after about 15 minutes or so of boiling), remove from heat and pour into a metal bowl.

Let the hot caramel mixture sit in the bowl until the temperature cools to just below 200°F, at which point you are ready to dip the apples.

While the caramel sauce is cooking and cooling, line a baking sheet with either Silpat or buttered aluminum foil.

Insert the sticks (either lollipop sticks, thick wooden skewers, or chopsticks) into the center of the apples through the stem end.

The caramel sauce will thicken as it cools. When the cooling caramel sauce has thickened enough so that the caramel will form a coating on the apples and not just slide off, dip the apples into the caramel, one at a time.

Swirl each apple around in the sauce so that the caramel sauce completely coats the apple, except for the very top near the stick.

Pull the apple up from the sauce and let the excess caramel gently drip back into the bowl.

Place the coated apple onto the lined baking sheet. Some caramel sauce will form a little pool at the base of each apple. Repeat with the remaining apples, then refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Once the caramel has chilled 15 minutes and is cool enough to touch but still malleable, remove from the refrigerator and press the caramel that has pooled at the bottom of the apples up against the side of the apples.

If you are using coatings such as sprinkles or chopped nuts, roll the caramel apples in them now. Then return the apples to the refrigerator and chill for at least another hour.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Let the apples come to room temperature before eating. The caramel apples will last 2 weeks chilled.

If giving as gifts, wrap them in plastic wrap.

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Homemade Caramel Apples

Learn how to make real homemade caramel apples with my success tips, video tutorial, and carefully explained recipe. This from-scratch caramel is buttery, sweet, and if cooked a little longer, is also excellent for soft caramel candies. This festive fall dessert is always fun to make, decorate, serve, and eat!

Fall is in full swing and what better way to celebrate than with a traditional county fair inspired treat?! I originally published homemade caramel apples in my cookbook Sally’s Candy Addiction. There you’ll also find candy how-to’s and recipes including toffee, candy apples, caramels, fudge, truffles, chocolate bark, taffy, and marshmallows. I decided to slightly adapt my original recipe, adding a little more butter and corn syrup for a softer, silkier caramel coating.

Real Homemade Caramel Apples

We’re making homemade caramel apples with caramel cooked completely from scratch on the stove. No store-bought caramel candies or coatings because you can truly taste the difference between that and homemade. If cooked a little longer, this real caramel can be made into soft caramel candies like my sea salt vanilla caramels. Today I’m sharing the recipe, all my recommended tools, tips for success, and showing you a video tutorial so you can see just how easy it is to make real caramel for homemade caramel apples.

Caramel Apples Video Tutorial

What Does the Caramel Taste Like?

My salted caramel is perfect for garnishing desserts, filling cakes, and as a dip for apple slices. However, it’s not suitable for coating apples because it’s too thin and won’t set properly– it’s missing corn syrup and the proper sugar to fat ratio.

The homemade caramel we’ll use for caramel apples is soft, chewy, buttery, a little taffy-like, and adheres to the apple easily. If applied lightly, the caramel won’t pool down at the bottom of the apple. Let’s break down the ingredients you need for homemade caramel coating and why each are imperative to the taste and texture. Cooking candy is actual chemistry, so there’s no room for substitutions.

Ingredients in Real Homemade Caramel

1. Heavy Cream: Heavy cream/heavy whipping cream is the base for caramel. Any milk or half-and-half are too thin and won’t cook properly.
2. Light Corn Syrup: Corn syrup is liquid sugar made from corn. Like all refined sugars, corn syrup doesn’t have an ideal nutritional profile. (Corn syrup used in home kitchens is not high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS goes through an additional refining process.) Corn syrup is required as it acts as the sticky, taffy-like base for caramel apples. Without it, the caramel will slide right off the apple (just as my salted caramel would). Though other liquid sweeteners can sometimes be substituted for corn syrup, candy making is not one of those instances. For organic non-GMO corn syrup, I like Wholesome brand.
3. Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is softer and more flavorful than regular white sugar, so I love using it in caramel coating recipes.
4. Butter: Butter adds unbeatable flavor and a desirably soft texture.
5. Salt & Vanilla Extract: Both ingredients add incredible flavor. Add the vanilla extract after you remove the cooked caramel from heat.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Apples

Now that you have your ingredients, let’s make caramel apples. First, rinse and dry the apples. Apples have a waxy coating that will prevent the caramel from sticking, so it’s important to wash and dry it off. Make sure the apples are cold, which helps prevent the caramel from slipping off.

Pull out the apple’s stem and insert a caramel apple stick.

For the caramel, cook the first 5 ingredients on the stove until the candy reaches 235°F (113°C), known as the Soft Ball Stage in candy cooking terms. Reaching 235°F (113°C) should take about 15 – 20 minutes, though don’t use the time as your stopping point because it really depends on your stove– electric stoves may take a little longer than gas stoves. But you won’t mind waiting because this caramel smells INCREDIBLE as it cooks. Some readers have been cooking to 240°F (116°C) and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F – 240°F.

Remove caramel from heat, then stir in the vanilla. Allow caramel to cool for a few minutes, then dip your apples. Let the excess caramel drip off, then place on a nonstick surface such as a silicone baking mat lined baking sheet.

Enjoy immediately or let the caramel set, about 45 minutes. Once set, you can wrap the caramel apples in cellophane for travel or gifting. Stand the apples in these adorable cellophane bags, then wrap the cellophane around the stick with a cute ribbon. Sweetest homemade gift around.

Slow Cooker to Keep Warm

Caramel must be prepared on the stove as instructed. However, after the caramel has cooked, you can keep it warm in a slow cooker on the low setting. Give it a gentle stir every 10 minutes to ensure the butter doesn’t separate. This is a great idea if you want to have a party where everyone can coat their own caramel apples!

Best Apples for Caramel Apples

You can use any variety of apple you enjoy such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. Granny Smith are a popular choice for caramel apples because they’re tart, which pairs perfectly with sweet buttery caramel. Whichever variety you use, look for:

• small to medium size
• as perfectly round as you can find
• firm with no soft spots

Let’s talk tools. We need the same items used for pumpkin spice toffee. In fact, most candy recipes require the same exact tools. And did you know that most homemade candy is gluten free? You don’t need flour to make caramel, toffee, truffles, or fudge.

Tools You Need for Caramel Apples

1. Candy Thermometer: This tool literally makes the entire caramel cooking process EASY FOR YOU because there’s no mistaking temperature. I highly recommend a digital candy thermometer that clips onto your pot like this one or this one. If calibrated, a candy thermometer is 1000x more accurate than using your eyes to detect candy’s doneness. See My Favorite Candy Making Tools for how/why to calibrate.
2. Heavy bottomed saucepan: I’ve ruined many batches of caramel because of a cheap pan. The ideal place for cooking candy is a deep and thick saucepan with straight sides. Thin pans, which often have hot spots, do not withstand the heat required for these recipes. These days I have a few pans I use for making toffee: here and here. The Cooks Standard is a great option for beginners, while the All-Clad is ideal for controlling the temperature of your candy.
3. Wooden spoon: Wood has a high heat tolerance. It also doesn’t conduct heat, so it won’t suck heat out from the cooking candy which causes crystallization. I just bought this set and LOVE them. (Crystallization is the formation of lumpy, grainy sugar crystals in otherwise smooth cooking candy.)
4. Pastry brush: A pastry brush helps rid the saucepan of sugar syrup that may have splashed up around the sides. This syrup could burn and crystallize, ruining your batch of caramel. Wet it with water and wipe the sides of the pan clean. It’s ok if some water drips down into the cooking candy.
5. Wooden Sticks: Sticks make eating caramel apples convenient and fun, while also serving as a useful dipping tool. Some small lollipop and popsicle sticks are simply too short– I recommend sticks anywhere between 5.5 – 7 inches. I like these wooden sticks because they’re sturdy and also double as skewers for meat & veggies.

Caramel Apple Garnishes

The caramel apples are obviously fantastic plain, but it’s fun to play dress up every now and then. Immediately after coating in caramel and before the caramel sets, roll the caramel dipped apples in finely chopped nuts, toffee pieces, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or coconut. You can even drizzle with melted chocolate and top with sprinkles, as shown below.

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