• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
One Sweet Mama
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Shop
  • Contact Me
  • Candy Science
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • About
    • Shop
    • Contact Me
    • Candy Science
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » caramel

    How to make great caramel apples

    Published: Oct 6, 2021 · Modified: Feb 9, 2023 by Hannah · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Look, I get it. You want great caramel apples, but you've been hurt before by caramel apples.  The caramel for caramel apples slides down off the apple making a huge mess, sticks to your teeth, is hard to bite into, and is overall just a horrible experience.  You want the caramel apple of your fall dreams, and I've got it.

    If you love caramel apples, check out these apple pie caramels.

    Red flags in other caramel recipes for apples

    I've gone over A LOT of other food blogger recipes for caramel apples, and some of the bigger red flags in recipes I see:

    • recommending dipping cold apples
      • cold apples + hot caramel = condensation.  This causes a sticky mess. The "theory" behind this is the caramel will set up faster on a cold apple, but if you are dipping a thin layer on the apple to begin with, it's not going to retain that much heat and the caramel will set up.
    • placing caramel apples in the fridge post dipping.
      • there is no reason for this if you have the correct caramel recipe, because what happens when you take it out? The caramel slides right down and is a mess. You don't need to store caramel apples in the fridge because both caramel and apples are shelf stable products. 
    • say you can only use heavy cream for making caramel for caramel apples
      • This is just so untrue and shows the person literally has zero background in anything candy making. You can use lots of different milk sources for making caramel for caramel apples

    Stand up so it doesn't slide down

    To make sure the caramel doesn't slide down your apple, you need to know about two things.

    1. The caramel has to have the right "stuff" in it.  The right about of sugar, milk proteins, and syrup to make sure the caramel sticks around where you want it!
    2. Final cook temperature of caramel.  The caramel MUST be cooked to a high enough temperature to drive off enough water.  If too much water is left in the caramel, it's going to do what water likes to do... flow!

    If you love learning the science behind candy, check out my milk sources for caramel. 

    Best apples for caramel apples

    Apples have a waxy coating that will prevent the caramel from sticking, so it’s important to wash and dry it off. First, rinse and dry the apples. If the waxy coating is particularly thick, you may need to dip the apple in boiling water for a few SECONDS (you don't want to cook the apple) to help soften the wax so you can wipe it off.

    After washing and drying the apples, pull off the stem and insert the stick for the caramel apples.

    I personally like using Granny Smith apples because they are very tart, which balances out the sweetness from the caramel. You can use any apple you enjoy though! Some other popular ones are Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Golden Delicious. Whichever type of apple for caramel apples you use, look for:

    • medium size apples. They will give the best caramel to apple ratio and are easy to eat than a massively sized apple.
    • round with a good stem hole
    • firm with no soft spots

    Ingredients - caramel for apples

    • evaporated milk
    • cream
    • butter
    • salt
    • sugar
    • brown rice syrup

    If you'd like to use corn syrup instead of brown rice syrup,  the caramel will need to be cooked to 246F instead of 244F. Brown rice syrup contains more solids ("stuff") and less water than corn syrup, so an increase in temperature is needed to finish driving off the water.

    Equipment for homemade caramel for apples

    • thick bottomed, heavy duty pot
    • high heat spatula or wooden spoon
    • candy thermometer
    • caramel apple sticks
    • parchment paper
    • baking sheet

    Instructions

    1. Line a 9 x 13" baking sheet with parchment paper
    2. Prepare your apples
    3. Cook the caramel
    4. Dip the apples

    Dipping apples in caramel

    • Dip apples one at a time into caramel on an angle so it covers nearly to the top center (or all the way to the top if you don’t care to have apple showing through). Rotate and turn to coat apple.
    • Lift apple and let excess caramel run off
    • Place on parchment lined baking sheet to set up

    Fancy chocolate covered caramel apples

    These caramel apples would be great for dipping in chocolate after the caramel sets up! After dipping them in chocolate you could also roll the apples in additional toppings, such as:

    • Sprinkles
    • toasted coconut
    • crushed cookies (Oreos or graham crackers would be great)
    • chopped nuts 
    • chopped candy bars such as Reeses, Twix, or Butterfinger
    • Mini M&M’s

    If you did not want to dip the apple in chocolate but still wanted to have something on the outside, roll the apple in the topping after dipping it in caramel.

    Storage and shelf life

    Caramel apples have a fairly short shelf life and are best consumed within 1-2 days after dipping.  I do not recommend refrigerating caramel apples because the caramel becomes very hard and sticky.  In this recipe for caramel apples, you can store the caramel apples in an airtight container.

    Recipe for caramel apple

    Caramel Apples

    Learn how to make homemade caramel apples with caramel that won't slide down the apple and is soft enough to bite into with the caramel apple recipe. For best success, watch the video tutorial, read the post, and review the recipe before beginning.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Resting Time 4 hours hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 apples

    Equipment

    • thick bottomed heavy duty pot 8 quart minimum
    • high heat spatula
    • candy thermometer
    • sticks for apples

    Ingredients
      

    • 9 medium sized apples
    • 340 grams evaporated milk
    • 240 grams heavy cream
    • 340 grams sugar
    • 4 grams salt
    • 113 grams butter
    • 285 grams brown rice syrup can be swapped for corn syrup, but increase final cook temp to 246F

    Instructions
     

    • Prepare apples by sticking stick into the stem section.
    • Add all ingredients except apples to a large, thick bottomed pot.
    • Cook on high until temperature reaches 244F, stirring the entire time.
    • Turn off heat. Dip apples one at a time, allowing the caramel to drip off the bottom before placing it on parchment paper.
    • Place on parchment paper. Cool for 4 hours. Seal in airtight container. Does not need to be stored in the refrigerator.

    Video

    Keyword apples, caramel, fall recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Caramel Recipes

    • Caramel wrapped pretzel rods
    • lavender honey caramels
      Lavender Honey Caramel Recipe
    • eggnog caramels
      Eggnog Caramels to make you ho ho happy
    • Best equipment for candy making at home

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Charlene Denhaese

      October 06, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      Why do you use brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup?

      Reply
      • Hannah

        November 10, 2023 at 8:20 pm

        You can use corn syrup as a 1:1 replacement for the brown rice syrup! I like the flavor it adds to this caramel.

        Reply

    Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Hannah! Candy obsessed and making everyone else that way too. I've spent over a decade in the candy industry, inventing sweets and snacks for the grocery store shelves. Now I'm showing you exactly how to make those top rated candies right out of your home kitchen. I want others to realize you can make real candy at home, really easily!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • caramel marshmallows
      One Sweet Mama's caramel marshmallows
    • how to make peanut butter nougat
      How to make nougat - peanut butter nougat
    • dulce de leche after different hours in slow cooker
      Can you make dulce de leche in slow cooker?
    • easy salted caramels at home
      Easy salted caramels at home

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 One Sweet Mama