It’s fall, and that means apple recipes galore in my house, whether I’m whipping up an apple dessert or decorating delicious caramel apples with the boys! With a few simple ingredients, basic tools, and a little time, you can make gourmet caramel apples right in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Unlike regular salted caramel sauce, the homemade caramel for this easy recipe is thick, buttery, and clings to the apples perfectly. The caramel for caramel apples needs to be sticky enough to hold on to the apple but soft enough to eat, which is why I add corn syrup to the caramel. It cannot be substituted here and is the simple trick for perfect homemade caramel apples. If you’re in the mood for more fall-inspired apple recipes, then try my homemade applesauce recipe, apple bread recipe, or apple turnovers recipe!
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Apples — granny Smith are a popular choice because they are tart apples, which balances the sweetness of the caramel. But any apple you enjoy eating will work!
Brown sugar — light brown sugar is my preferred choice in this recipe, but you can really use whatever brown sugar you have on hand. (I’ve used a mixture of light and dark brown sugar in the past because that’s what was open in the pantry, and my homemade caramel turned out great!)
Heavy cream — heavy cream or whipping cream will work. Do not substitute with milk or half and half.
Light corn syrup — the secret ingredient for caramel that is perfectly sticky! I don’t use corn syrup often, but when I do, it’s because a recipe needs it. Do not skip it in this caramel apple recipe.
Butter — unsalted butter is ideal for this recipe in order to control how salty the caramel tastes. If you use salted butter, reduce the salt you add by about ¼ teaspoon.
Salt — what could be better than salted caramel? Salt enhances the flavor of the caramel, making it richer and more nuanced.
Vanilla extract — Be sure to use vanilla extract instead of essence. Vanilla essence is a synthetic product, while vanilla extract is made with actual vanilla beans.
How to Make Caramel Apples
1. Start by prepping your apples. Remove the wax coating on the skin by rubbing the skin vigorously with a kitchen towel dipped in hot water (or a paper towel). You could also dip the apple in hot water and then rub it well with a clean kitchen afterward. Dry each apple. Push a wooden skewer or apple stick through the apple. You can also use popsicle sticks. Try to get it in as straight as you can. Place the skewered apples on a baking sheet and refrigerate them while you make the caramel.
2. In a heavy-bottomed thick-walled saucepan (you need one that is small but relatively tall as the caramel does bubble up a lot), combine brown sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt.
3. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the butter has melted.
4. When the butter has melted, continue to cook the caramel, but do not stir. Wet a pastry brush with water and brush the sides down to prevent crystals from forming and ruining the caramel. You’ll need to do this a few times. Once the caramel reaches the soft ball stage (meaning it has a temperature of between 235°F and 240°F on a candy thermometer), remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the caramel cool until it reaches 190°F.
5. Now it’s time for the fun part: dipping the apples! Remove the apples from the refrigerator and carefully dip each one into the caramel sauce, letting the excess drip off.
6. At this point, you are basically done if you want plain caramel apples. Simply place the dipped apples on a silicone baking sheet or a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to set. Both options are non-stick, so your caramel apples will slip right off when they’re ready! If you want to decorate the apples (ideas below!), do so right after dipping them, and then place the decorated caramel apples onto the non-stick surface you chose. Slice the apple to make it easier to serve.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Choose small to medium apples. Large apples can become a bit too cumbersome to handle, especially if you decorate them.
- Refrigerate the apples. Once the apples are prepped, pop them into the fridge. Cold apples make it easier for the caramel to cling.
- Gather the tools for making homemade caramel before you start working on it. Once you put the caramel ingredients on the heat, you shouldn’t step away from your stove until it is ready. So, make sure you have a wooden spoon, candy thermometer, pastry brush, and a small bowl of water ready and nearby.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the caramel. Wooden spoons don’t conduct heat well, so it won’t affect the temperature of the caramel or burn your hands while you stir.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. Pots that are too thin can cause the caramel to burn on the bottom and become bitter.
- Invest in a candy thermometer. This inexpensive tool is vital for a perfectly cooked caramel. It removes all the guesswork and makes the whole process a lot less stressful.
- Pop bubbles in the caramel coating. While bubbles in the caramel won’t affect the flavor of your caramel apple, they will affect the look. So pop them! It’s really easy to do by lightly blowing hot air over the coating with a hairdryer or heat gun right after dipping.
- Don’t waste leftover caramel! Pour it onto parchment paper and shape the caramel into a fairly uniform log. Once the caramel has cooled completely, cut it into smaller pieces and enjoy delicious buttery caramel candies. Or, wrap each one in some parchment paper to eat later.
- Gift caramel apples. Homemade gifts are a sweet and thoughtful way to show appreciation for the special people in your life. After the caramel has set, wrap the apple in cellophane and tie it securely with a cute ribbon. Voila! You have a handmade gift ready to deliver!
Frequently Asked Questions
Granny Smith apples are the best apple for caramel apples. They are very tart, which balances out the sweet caramel. Honeycrisp apples also taste really good! No matter the type of apple you use, make sure that it is firm, with no soft spots.
Prepping the apples correctly can make a world of difference to caramel apples. Apples are coated in wax, which is what often causes caramel to slide right off them. To remove the wax, dip your apples into very hot water, and then rub them vigorously with a clean kitchen towel.
Start by cleaning the apples properly to remove the waxy coating from the apple skin (tips right above). Caramel needs to be the right temperature so that it sticks to the apples. If it’s too hot, too much will drip off. If it’s too cool, it won’t be thin enough to coat the apples. Your thermometer is your friend here. Keep it in the pot while cooling and start dipping when it hits 190F.
Yes! If you want to make the caramel in advance and save it for a few hours, simply make the caramel and transfer it to a slow cooker on the low setting. This will keep the caramel warm so that it’s ready for apple dipping time! Be sure to stir it every so often so the butter doesn’t separate.
There are so many options for how to decorate caramel apples! Chopped nuts (I like peanuts) are always a crowd-pleaser. You could also use mini M&Ms, crushed cookies, crushed pretzels, sprinkles, shredded coconut, or mini chocolate chips. Another option that is very visually pleasing is to drizzle some melted chocolate over the set caramel apple. Essentially, pick your favorite toppings and have fun!
Homemade caramel apples will last for about two weeks in the refrigerator. I recommend removing them from the fridge and letting them come to room temperature before serving.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Caramel Apples recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Caramel Apples
Video
Equipment
- Candy thermometer
- Apple sticks
- Silicone mats or parchment paper
- Medium pot
- Wooden spoon
- Brush
Ingredients
- 10 Granny Smith Apples
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar (440g)
- 1½ cups heavy cream (360mL)
- 1 cup light corn syrup (240mL)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (70g)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Apple Preparation:
- Remove all stems from apples and wash them by rubbing the skin vigorously with a paper or kitchen towel in hot water to remove the wax coating. Dry well.
- Push an apple stick or wooden skewer into the stem end to create a handle. Refrigerate the apples for faster caramel setting.
For the Caramel:
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Place over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted.
- Once melted, brush down the side of the pot with a wet pastry brush. Cook without stirring while occasionally brushing the sides down until the temperature reaches between 235°F and 240°F on a candy thermometer.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla then set aside to cool for 10 to 20 minutes. The caramel is ready for dipping once it’s cooled to about 190°F. You can always dip a test apple to see if it looks right.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone mat, or lightly grease the sheet with butter.
- Dip an apple into the caramel, allow the excess to drip off then place on a the baking sheet to cool. If desired you can add a drizzle of chocolate or roll in chopped nuts or sprinkles before the caramel sets. Refrigerate the apples until the caramel is set, 15 to 30 minutes.
Notes
- Choose small to medium apples. Large apples can become a bit too cumbersome to handle, especially if you decorate them.
- Refrigerate the apples. Once the apples are prepped, pop them into the fridge. Cold apples make it easier for the caramel to cling.
- Gather the tools for making homemade caramel before you start working on it. Once you put the caramel ingredients on the heat, you shouldn’t step away from your stove until it is ready. So, make sure you have a wooden spoon, candy thermometer, pastry brush, and a small bowl of water ready and nearby.
- Use a wooden spoon to stir the caramel. Wooden spoons don’t conduct heat well, so it won’t affect the temperature of the caramel or burn your hands while you stir.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. Pots that are too thin can cause the caramel to burn on the bottom and become bitter.
- Invest in a candy thermometer. This inexpensive tool is vital for a perfectly cooked caramel. It removes all the guesswork and makes the whole process a lot less stressful.
- Pop bubbles in the caramel coating. While bubbles in the caramel won’t affect the flavor of your caramel apple, they will affect the look. So pop them! It’s really easy to do by lightly blowing hot air over the coating with a hairdryer or heat gun right after dipping.
- Don’t waste leftover caramel! Pour it onto parchment paper and shape the caramel into a fairly uniform log. Once the caramel has cooled completely, cut it into smaller pieces and enjoy delicious buttery caramel candies. Or, wrap each one in some parchment paper to eat later.
- Gift caramel apples. Homemade gifts are a sweet and thoughtful way to show appreciation for the special people in your life. After the caramel has set, wrap the apple in cellophane and tie it securely with a cute ribbon. Voila! You have a handmade gift ready to deliver!
Adrianne says
My kids can’t handle a lot of dairy, so we tried this will full fat coconut milk in lieu of the cream and it worked like a dream. It did cool off much faster than expected, so putting the bowl in a warm place, or maybe leaving it in the pot snd turning the burner back to low while dipping could help. We managed to use a spatula to scrape the caramel over last few apples and once we dipped them in mini MMS, they look great. Thanks for sharing!
Sumaya says
Hi John, we don’t have corn syrup in the UK but we have something called golden syrup. Would that work as a substitute?
Brian says
Hey. Is there a full video for this recipe? Thanks!
jkanell says
No but I need to make one soon!
Katherine says
I love the chocolate and caramel combo!
Ava says
Great for a party! Cute and festive!