How to make a sweet and spooky batch of black candy apples for Halloween!
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From the endless supply of tantalizing candy to the spooky yet colorful decorations, what’s not to love about the spookiest holiday of the year: Halloween?! I absolutely love any holiday that gives me a reason to experiment with fun recipes in my kitchen, which is actually all of them honestly, but there’s something different about Halloween recipes. They often seem easier and more simple to customize for this particular holiday compared to other recipes intended for bigger holidays throughout the year. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that most Halloween recipes involve simple candy-making or just adding holiday props to simple finger food platters. Either way, whipping up sweet and easy Halloween treats is always a spooky good time!
Today I want to share one of the most traditional of all Halloween recipes, the candy apple! But since we are talking about the spookiest day of the year here, I wanted to incorporate a dark twist and made a hauntingly yummy batch of these Black Candy Apples. These candied apples are not only tasty, but the sleek glossy look of the hardened black candy really adds to the spooky charm that this holiday is all about. These candy apples are super easy to make and are perfect for kids’ costume parties, adult Halloween parties, and small fall festivals. You can also whip up a batch of these for you and your other parent friends to devour so you can all be on your way to Halloween candy bliss without having to dig into the kids’ candy bags.
To make easy candy apples, all you need is some apples, sugar, light corn syrup, water, food coloring, a saucepan, a heat-resistant spatula, parchment paper, skewers. Just stick a skewer into each apple after removing the stem, then heat the other ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. After the syrup reaches the right temperature, carefully swirl the apples in the candy to coat thoroughly and then transfer them to a sheet of parchment paper to cool and harden completely.
Candy Apple Equipment
This spooky food project is easily stitched together using only a few common kitchen utensils and tools. You can really add as much Halloween flair to these spooky sweet treats as you want! You can add more spooky appeal by adding anything from black ribbon to Halloween-themed cellophane bags to serve these in. Have fun with it!
- Saucepan with a pouring lip
- Silicone spatula
- Parchment paper sheets
- Short bamboo skewers
- Assorted paper drinking straws
- Candy thermometer
Candied Apple Ingredients
You are going to be absolutely ecstatic to learn that this easy Halloween recipe only requires a few sweet and simple ingredients, with one special ingredient that is used to add the spooky aura to these classic treats.
- 4 Granny Smith apples
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¾ cup water
- Food Coloring: black
How to Make Enchanting Black Candied Apples
Rollback those sleeves and put away the Halloween makeup for a minute because it’s showtime! I know you’ve got a lot to do so without further ado, here’s the breakdown of how to make your own batch of black candy apples.
- First, gather up and measure out all of the ingredients. Remove the stems from the apples and skewer the core of each one with a short bamboo skewer and then set them aside on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Next, combine the water, sugar, light corn syrup, and black food coloring in a saucepan- I like to use one with a pouring lip- and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Continuously stir the mixture with a silicone spatula or whisk until the sugar completely dissolves, about 20 minutes.
- While cooking, occasionally scrape down the mixture along the inside of the pot, so that no leftover sugar crystals mess with the final consistency.
- The colored syrup is ready when it reaches 310ºF on a candy thermometer or reaches the “hard crack stage”.
- To see if the syrup is ready without a candy thermometer, just drop a little bit of the boiling sugar mixture into a glass of ice-cold water. The sugar drop should form hard, brittle threads that indicate that it has reached the right temp.
- Finally, carefully dip each apple into the black syrup one at a time. Swirl the pan around from one side to the other to thoroughly coat each apple with the candy mixture, and then carefully transfer the candied apple to a sheet of parchment paper to cool and harden completely.
- Before serving, cover each of the bamboo skewers with a Halloween-themed paper straw.
- Candied apples are usually ready to eat in about 10 minutes.
Storing Candied Apples
To properly store candied apples: wrap the candied apple in cellophane wrap and tie it off well to prevent any air from reaching the apples. The apples will stay fresh like this, at room temperature for up to 3-5 days, out of the sun. Candied apples can be kept in the fridge, stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week, but the moisture from the fridge can make the candy coating start to sweat. So for the crispest results, I recommend the room temperature storage method.
Halloween Theme
Scary Good Serving Ideas for Halloween
This spooky good recipe is enough to make 4 candied apples but you can easily make a few extra batches to serve at costume parties, for trick-or-treaters, or for any other spooky celebration. Now, some people like the spooky side of Halloween but some prefer the more magical or enchanting fairytale side of the holiday. I usually like to stick with magical themes for my daughter but I do like to add a little touch of that spooky nature of Halloween to my family’s celebrations and decorations. Here are some of our favorite recipes that can add excitement and charm to all kinds of Halloween parties.
Enchanting Halloween party recipes:
- Skull Halloween Sugar Cookies
- Mermaid Cake Popsicles
- Mermaid Pretzel Rods
- Chocolate Mermaid Tails
- Mini Mermaid Chocolate Bars
- Unicorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Unicorn Meringue Pops
- Unicorn Meringue Cookies
- Unicorn Rainbow Cupcakes
For more fairytale-themed Halloween fun, check out these simple holiday projects:
Black Candy Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Granny Smith apples
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¾ cup water
- Food Coloring black
Instructions
- First, gather up and measure out all of the ingredients. Remove the stems from the apples and skewer the core of each one with a short bamboo skewer and then set them aside on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Next, combine the water, sugar, light corn syrup, and black food coloring in a saucepan- I like to use one with a pouring lip- and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Continuously stir the mixture with a silicone spatula or whisk until the sugar completely dissolves, about 20 minutes.While cooking, occasionally scrape down the mixture along the inside of the pot, so that no leftover sugar crystals mess with the final consistency.
- The colored syrup is ready when it reaches 310ºF on a candy thermometer or reaches the “hard crack stage”.To see if the syrup is ready without a candy thermometer, just drop a little bit of the boiling sugar mixture into a glass of ice-cold water. The sugar drop should form hard, brittle threads that indicate that it has reached the right temp.
- Finally, carefully dip each apple into the black syrup one at a time. Swirl the pan around from one side to the other to thoroughly coat each apple with the candy mixture, and then carefully transfer the candied apple to a sheet of parchment paper to cool and harden completely.Before serving, cover each of the bamboo skewers with a Halloween-themed paper straw.Candied apples are usually ready to eat in about 10 minutes.
Notes
This is not caramel, it candy
Thank you for letting me know.:)