These candied apples are the perfect fall treat and come together a lot easier than you’d think! While yes, you do need a thermometer to make them, you’ll be thanking me later for simple it makes the process. Coat in some chocolate, caramel, or nuts and bring these to your next gathering! Let’s bake!
This recipe is sponsored by Yes! Apples.
Creating the Candy Coating
Once your start throwing words around like “candied” and “thermometer” people can get a little nervous, but I assure you—these are so easy to make and just take a little patience/timing! A heavy-bottomed saucepan is best as you’re dealing with a very hot mixture.
- First you’ll just gently mix all of your ingredients together in your medium sauce pan.
- Then, just heat over medium-high heat the entire time, all the way through the boiling stage as well. I like to stir the sugar a little at the beginning to help it melt, but you want to make sure not to splash any on the sides to avoid crystallization (if any does, just wet the tip of a pastry brush and run it around the inside of the pan).
- Once the mixture is boiling, let it boil undisturbed until it reaches 310°F. Immediately take the saucepan off the heat (maybe even a few degrees before, as it’ll continue to rise from the heat of the pan) and start coating your apples.
Coating Your Candied Apples
My best tip for applying the candy mixture to your apples is this: carefully tilt the saucepan to one side, dip your apple in at a slight angle, and then rotate them to get an even coating around the apple. You might have to do a few rotations to get them fully coated!
Just make sure to let the initial mixture set before dipping your candied apples in melted chocolate or caramel.
Why Honeycrisp Apples are Best
When you’re making candied apples, you want something with a bit of crunch to them! These juicy-sweet Honeycrisp variety from Yes! Apples are perfect for this recipe. They’re sturdy and the epitome of the perfect fall apple so you really can’t go wrong. I’m obsessed!
I also love them over granny smith apples because they’re a little less tart, but still have a touch tartness to enjoy with every bite. Check them out here!
You can also click here to find out where to find some Yes! Apples near you for this recipe!
Materials You’ll Need:
- Baking Thermometer (I use this one and love it!)
- Medium sauce pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Silicone spatula or whisk
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Baking sheets
- Wax Paper (cannot use parchment, must be wax)
- Neutral Oil to grease wax paper (I used vegetable oil)
- Apple skewers
Go grab some Honeycrisp apples from Yes! Apples and get to candying, friends! Be sure to share with and tag me over on Instagram (@joshisbaking) if you make them!
Happy baking!
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Easy Candied Apples
- Prep Time: 10 Min.
- Chill Time: 30 Min.
- Cook Time: 15 Min.
- Total Time: ~1 Hour
- Yield: 6–8 Large Candied Apples 1x
Description
These candied apples are the perfect fall treat and come together so easily! Dip in chocolate, caramel, or coat in some nuts to bring to your next gathering. Happy baking!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ~1/2 tsp. food coloring gel (I used red)
- Optional: melted chocolate, nuts, candy for dipping/coating
Instructions
- Prep a large baking sheet with wax paper (must be wax, the apples will stick to parchment) and then grease the wax paper with a neutral oil. I brushed about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on the sheet. Poke wooden skewers into 6-8 large apples.
- In a medium sauce pan, mix together your light corn syrup, water, sugar, and food coloring gel (I used red for a classic look) until combined. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling (undisturbed, no need to stir) and boil until it reaches 310°F (this can take about 10-15 minutes).
- Once your candy mixture reaches 310°F, immediately take the saucepan off the heat and begin dipping/rotating your apples into the mixture, placing each onto the prepared baking sheet after coating. Work quickly as the mixture will want to set up fast, but be very careful as the mixture is also very hot! Tilt the saucepan a little as you dip and rotate the apples to help coat them more evenly.
- Once all of your apples have been coated, let them cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes to let the candy coating harden. Then you can melt some chocolate to dip them in and sprinkle with nuts if desired. Store at room temperature and best enjoyed day-of.
Notes
- While it might seem annoying to need a thermometer to make these—it really is a must to ensure your candy mixture is at the appropriate temperature. That 310°F is going to give you that hard candy, cracking consistency that you want for candied apples!
- Be extra careful when dipping your apples into the hot candy mixture! Work quickly and carefully to coat them, as it will want to set up pretty fast.
- Greased wax paper is the best method to not have your apples stick to the sheet. The candy mixture will pull parchment paper right up with it, so definitely be sure to use wax and grease it well with a neutral oil.
Check out my other recipes with Yes! Apples:
- Apple Pecan Scones
- Apple Cinnamon Pocket Pies
- Fresh Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- Apple and Almond Cream Galette
I used the wax paper method and the apples got stuck, I used parchment and the apples came clean off… not sure if it was a certain brand, but I used the generic/store brand wax and parchment, I donn’t have a thermometer, so I used the ice water method and it came out wonderfully delicious!!!!
Oh funny! Quite possibly a difference in brand–sorry about that! But I’m glad you got it figured out!