The Best Candy Apple Recipe
Perfectly smooth and shiny candy apples with a glassy ruby-red shell, deep cinnamon flavor, and no bubbles. The two-day method (overnight apple chill plus hard crack candy) is what makes this recipe foolproof.
Servings: 8 apples
Calories: 549kcal
Equipment
- heavy bottom saucepan
- Candy Thermometer
- silicone mat
- clean pastry brush
- Apple skewers
- nitrile gloves (optional for precaution while dipping)
Ingredients
- 8-10 small granny smith apples
- 30 ounces granulated sugar
- 12 ounces water
- 6 ounces corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon food coloring, optional
- 8 ounces cinnamon hard candy
- ¼ teaspoon flash dust optional
Instructions
- The night before, scrub the apples in very hot water for 10 to 15 seconds to melt off the wax, dry them well, and chill them uncovered on a paper-towel-lined tray overnight. The day of, line a sheet pan with a silicone mat (or oiled foil), keep a bowl of ice water within arm's reach for sugar safety, and put on nitrile gloves. Insert wooden sticks into the chilled apples right before you start cooking and return the prepped apples to the fridge.
- Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup. Add the sugar, water, and corn syrup to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to combine. Do not splash syrup up the sides of the pan.
- Boil with the lid on for 5 minutes. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover with a lid for 5 minutes. The trapped steam washes stray sugar crystals back into the syrup so the batch will not crystallize at the hard crack stage. If your saucepan does not have a lid, use a clean wet pastry brush to wash down the sides with water every minute during this phase.
- Add the cinnamon candy and thermometer. Remove the lid, drop in the 8 ounces of cinnamon hard candy, and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Do not stir from this point forward.
- Cook to 300º F. Over medium heat, hold a steady simmer and let the candy climb to 300º F (hard crack). The thermometer will hang around 250º F for several minutes while the water evaporates, then it will climb fast. Total cook is around 25 to 30 minutes.
- Add color and glitter off heat. Once the candy hits 300º F, pull the pan off the heat. Add the food coloring and edible glitter and swirl gently to combine.
- Cool to 280º F before dipping. Let the candy sit until the active bubbling settles and the thermometer reads 280º F.
- Tilt and roll to dip. Pull cold apples from the fridge one at a time. Tilt the saucepan, roll the apple in the hot candy, dip deep enough to coat almost to the core, and let the excess drip off before placing stick-up on the silicone mat
- Set and serve. Let the candy apples set at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes until the shell is fully hard. If the candy thickens before you finish dipping, return it to low heat for a minute or two to liquify. Pour any leftover candy into silicone molds for hard candies.
Video
Notes
- Ingredient notes: Granny Smith is the strong move here, tart and firm. Soft sweet apples like Red Delicious will let the shell slide off. Cinnamon hard candy is the cleanest flavor route. Use ¼ teaspoon cinnamon extract off heat as a swap, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon if that is all you have (expect visible specks in the shell).
- Equipment notes: A candy thermometer is non-negotiable. Hard crack at 300º F is the line between a glassy shell and a sticky shell. If you must work without one, use the ice water test: drop ½ teaspoon of syrup into ice water and check for a thin, brittle thread that snaps cleanly.
- Make-ahead and storage: Best the day they are made. The shell stays glassy for about 24 hours at room temperature. Wrap each apple individually in a cellophane bag once the shell is fully set. Do not refrigerate uncovered (condensation makes them sticky), and do not freeze (the shell will crack).
- Sugar safety: Hot sugar burns are severe. Keep a bowl of ice water within arm's reach the entire time you are cooking. If you get sugar on your skin, immediately remove the glove or dip the area in ice water to harden the sugar before pulling it off.
- Critical do-nots: Do not stir after the boil starts. Do not dip wet or warm apples. Do not dip at 300º F (wait for 280º F). Do not skip the wax removal step. Do not refrigerate the finished apples uncovered.
Nutrition
Serving: 1apple | Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 143g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 138g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
