How to Make Candy Apples

4.39 from 13 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 apples
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Candy apples are a sweet, crunchy treat with a glossy, marbled, beautiful, delicious finish. Their crisp coating and a burst of juicy apple flavor make them perfect for adding a festive touch to year-round gatherings, from Halloween parties to summer picnics!

Colorful candy apples on a platter.

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After making these, I couldn’t wait to share how simple it is to create marbled candy apples! Just look at how stunning they are. I’m smitten with how they turned out and think they’ll be a hit at any fall party!

The process is straightforward, especially if you have a candy thermometer and carefully monitor the sugar temperature.

Plus, you can choose any color to match your fall or Halloween theme or party décor, making these candy apples versatile and customizable. Check out my marble drip cake, too!

Ingredients to make candy apples.

Candy Apple Ingredients

Granny Smith Apples: The tartness of green apples pairs perfectly with the sweet candy coating, and their bright color complements the marbling.

Granulated Sugar: This forms the base of the candy shell.

Light Corn Syrup: Acts as a sweetener, thickener, and binding agent.

Vanilla Extract: Adds a touch of flavor. You can also substitute it with other flavored extracts.

White Food Coloring: This is essential for the base of the marble effect, allowing other colors to pop on the apples.

Gel Food Coloring: Choose 2-3 gel colors for a pretty marbled appearance. The possibilities are endless!

Helpful Supplies for Making Candy Apples

To ensure your candy apples turn out perfectly, you’ll need a few key tools:

  • Candy Thermometer: A must-have for reaching the hard crack stage, ensuring the candy sets properly.
  • Parchment Paper or Wax Paper: Place your dipped apples on this nonstick surface to cool and harden.
  • Baking Sheet: Line this with parchment or wax paper for an easy cleanup.
  • Heavy Saucepan: Ideal for heating the sugar mixture to the correct temperature.
  • Wooden Sticks: Use craft sticks, lollipop sticks, or even rustic twigs for a Halloween vibe.
  • Rubber Spatula: Handy for swirling the sugar mixture to achieve that marbled look.
Blue candy apple.

How to Make Marbled Candy Apples

  1. Prep the Apples: Soak apples in hot water with vinegar for 10–15 minutes, scrub to remove wax, rinse, and dry. Wipe with vodka for extra cleanliness.
  2. Set Up: Keep apples near the stove and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Make the Candy: Heat sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan with a candy thermometer until 300°F. Don’t stir.
  4. Add Color: Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and white food coloring, then swirl in a few drops of other colors with a skewer.
  5. Dip & Cool: Dip apples into the candy, let excess drip, and place on parchment to harden.

Adding Flavors

While we used vanilla extract, feel free to get creative with other flavors like:

  • Cinnamon
  • Orange
  • Almond
  • Butter Pecan
  • Lavender
  • Pumpkin Spice

These extracts are an easy way to customize the flavor profile of your candy apples.

Candy apples on a platter for fall.

Tips for Making Perfect Candy Apples

  • Prep Your Surface: Have your baking sheet lined and ready before you start dipping the apples.
  • Marbling Technique: Swirl them gently with a wooden skewer.
  • Sugar Temperature: For the perfect candy shell, let your candy thermometer reach the hard crack stage (300°F). Then remove form heat OR the mixture will bubble on the apple.
  • Make Ahead: Candy apples can be made up to two days before. For the best flavor and texture, store them in the fridge and enjoy them within 1-2 days.
Removing wax from an apple to make candy apples.

Removing the Wax Coating from Apples

Soak the apples in a mixture of hot water and a few tablespoons of vinegar for 10-15 minutes.

Brush the apples with a clean brush to help remove the wax.

Rinse thoroughly, then wipe them dry.

Clean the apples with a cloth dipped in vodka to remove any remaining residue, leaving the apples extra clean for dipping.

Halloween candy apples with marble candy coating

Fun Candy Apple Varieties

Galaxy Candy Apples: For a unique twist, swirl blue and purple food coloring for a cosmic-themed apple.

Blackout Candy Apples: Add black food coloring for a spooky, Halloween look.

Caramel Candy Apples: Swap the sugar syrup for caramel to make a classic fall treat.

Chocolate Candy Apples: Use chocolate instead of sugar syrup, and create fun designs like ghost faces with white chocolate.

Glitter Candy Apples: Sprinkle edible glitter for an extra festive touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I ensure the candy coating sticks to the apples?

Make sure the apples are thoroughly cleaned and free of wax or residue. Dry them completely before dipping to ensure the candy adheres properly.

What type of food coloring works best for creating marbled effects?

Use gel or liquid food coloring for vibrant, swirlable colors that mix well with the melted candy. Red is the classic candy apple color, but you can mix and match colors to match your event theme!

How can I avoid burning the candy mixture?

Use a candy thermometer and heat the mixture over medium-high heat without stirring, carefully watching for it to reach exactly 300°F. Remove immediately to prevent burning.

How to make candy apples, cut in half with different colors.

More Dessert Recipes

If you love these apples, try some of more treats:

Let me know if you make these by leaving a comment and review below!

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Blue candy apple.
4.39 from 13 votes

Candy Apples

By: Eden
A fun and festive way to make candy apples! This recipe is easy, and the colors are beautiful!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
0 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 apples
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Equipment

  • Candy Thermometer
  • Medium Sauce Pan

Ingredients 

  • 6 Granny Smith apples
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp White food coloring, or more
  • 2 tsp additional colors of food coloring, we used teal and green gel coloring. You can play around with how much dye you need.

Instructions 

  • Soak the apples in a mixture of hot water and a few tablespoons of vinegar for 10-15 minutes. Brush the apples with a clean brush to help remove the wax. Rinse thoroughly, then wipe them dry. Clean the apples with a cloth dipped in vodka to remove any remaining residue, leaving the apples extra clean for dipping.
  • Put your apples near the stove so they’re close by when you need them. Also, prepare a cookie sheet with parchment to keep close.
  • Mix the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Attach the candy thermometer to the side of the pot, but make sure it’s not touching the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat and let bubble without mixing until it reaches 300 degrees.
    adding ingredients into a heavy pan
  • Once it reaches that temperature, immediately take off the heat with a heat-proof rubber spatula.
    candy thermometer in sugar mixture
  • Mix in the vanilla extract and the white food coloring until combined.
  • Quickly add a few drops of the two other colors.
    adding food coloring to melted sugar mixture
  • Use a wooden skewer to gently stir the colors, but don’t mix.
  • Lightly move the colors around. Tip the pot to one side and dip the apple in the candy, coating it on all sides.
    swirling a candy apple in sugar mixture
  • When you pull the marbled candy apple out of the sugar, give it a second to drip off the bottom, then place it on the parchment paper to cool and harden.
    candy apples on wax paper

Video

Notes

For easy cleanup, put 2/3 cups of water in your pot and bring it to a boil. Pour out the water and give it a regular wash.
Add more drops of dye as needed to make the marble effect.
Gel food coloring is the best kind to use for candy apples. The colors are more concentrated, so you’ll get brighter colors with less food coloring.
How do you get the wax off apples for candy apples?
  • Soak the apples in hot water and a few tablespoons of vinegar for 10-15 minutes.
  • Brush the apples with a clean brush to help remove the wax.
  • Rinse thoroughly, then wipe them dry.
  • Clean the apples with a cloth dipped in vodka to remove any remaining residue, leaving the apples extra clean for dipping.

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal, Carbohydrates: 147g, Protein: 0g, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 22mg, Potassium: 194mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 140g, Vitamin A: 100IU, Vitamin C: 8.3mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Eden

I’m Eden Passante and I develop, create, style and photograph every recipe and party on Sugar and Charm. I’m the author of Entertaining with Charm and have a Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics and I’m here to help you create simple and easy recipes for entertaining and how to add charm to any gathering!

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4.39 from 13 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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29 Comments

  1. Kitchenzad says:

    I just came out there after watching the video on youtube. This way is quite easy and interesting to marble the candy apples. I am just going to give it a try.

  2. kitcheniest says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made many batches of candy apples from mixes and kits etc. but this is the first homemade batch that I’ve done. The apples turned out great. I used the recommended colors and flavor oils that you listed, but the only thing is that my candy had a slight after taste. Just wondering if you had any ideas of something I may have done wrong. Thank you!

  3. CONNIE FREZZA says:

    Can I add flavoring to the mix such as cinnamon? if so is there a particular form of flavoring I would need to use? The colors, what form of food color (water, gel, etc)

    1. Eden says:

      You could add drops of extract to flavor. That’s a great idea!!

  4. Latrice says:

    Hi me and my friend is a new to making candy Apple’s can you give us some pointers on how to get rid of the bubbles

    1. Eden says:

      That’s a hard one!! There will be some bubbles no matter how hard you try to get rid of them, but you can wait and hit the pan on the stove a little to release them.

    2. Saintwic says:

      Make sure the apples are wax free as well as very dry. Dip briefly. 30-45 seconds in a pot of boiling water with a bit of vinegar take out and wipe the wax off and allow to dry for several hours to overnight.

  5. Crystal says:

    Does it taste like a regular strawberry candy apple with different food coloring added ? Or does it give it a different flavor?

  6. Tami says:

    My candy starts to burn after about 280 constantly. I make them from scratch and even the premixed bags. I cook at 4.5 (medium heat). Any ideas what I’m doing wrong.

    1. Eden says:

      Hmm, are you constantly stirring? I think that is super important for it to not burn. Also, use a candy thermometer and remove it from heat when it gets to hard crack.

  7. Joan says:

    I have never had a candied apple like this. What does it taste like using your recipe above …. is it like a hard candy? What would you recommend if I wanted to individually bag them i.e. how long do I let the candy dry on the apple before bagging so it doesn’t stick? Thank you so very much. I love the look of these multi colored apples.