Nothing is more wickedly delicious than black candy apples. They go well with Snow White themed parties and are a favorite for kids and adults alike at Halloween. They are a favorite around our house, and for such an impressive treat, they are actually quite easy to make.
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Materials Used:
- apples
- sticks*
- water
- granulated sugar
- light corn syrup
- black food coloring or set of traditional colorants
- candy thermometer*
- parchment paper/waxed paper (optional)
- 3/4 cup water Dyed black with 1 tbsp of black food coloring
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup of light corn syrup
About Materials and Ingredients:
FOOD COLORING:
I try to use black food coloring when I can. Gel colorants will give a more vibrant result, but often, black is difficult to find.
If can’t find it, you can make your own black food coloring with a mixture of equal parts red, yellow, and blue. This will produce a very dark gray. Dip the apples 2-3 times and the color will intensify to a black.
APPLES:
Any type of apple will work. I prefer Granny Apples because I think the tartness of the apples balances out the sweetness of the candy very nicely. Another good tart variety is Jazz apples.
If you prefer a sweet apple, try Fuji or Ambrosia. For a mild (mid-level) apple, try Honeycrisp or Red Delicious varieties.
STICKS:
Popsicle sticks and candy apple skewers are the most commonly used type of sticks for candy apples. You can also use sturdy cardboard straws or slip a paper straw over the skewer to keep with a theme.
For a more Halloween type atmosphere, some like to use real tree branch twigs. If you choose to do so, make sure your branches come from a non-toxic tree (like apple or crabapple).
I would also recommend that you use twigs that you know were not treated with any toxic chemicals, and make sure the branches are free of loose bark and small bits. Maybe use regular skewers for small children who might try to chew on the branch.
To sterilize the branch and kill off any insects hiding beneath the bark, dip the branch pieces quickly into boiling water and set aside to dry.
PARCHMENT PAPER:
Either wax paper or parchment paper will work to hold your poison apples while they are in the process of cooling. I have also used cupcake papers.
The cupcake papers are best when you are planning to pass out the apples to individuals because you don’t have that extra step of packaging. These foil wrappers from Amazon are nice and strong and work perfectly!
If you want to hand these out to trick-or-treaters, or if you want to package as gifts, you can these cellophane bags which are perfect for apples. I also like to use these clear gift boxes that have a hole ready to go for the skewer.
THERMOMETER
The thermometer that I use is the CDN digital candy thermometer.* It is one of the best and comes with preprogrammed temperatures – such as hard candy, soft candy, etc.
If you can afford to get this one, I recommend that you do. I use mine for more than just candy making. The long stem lets you use deeper pots. It also beeps when it reaches the select temperature so you don’t have to worry about going over it.
Black Candy Apple Instructions
- Remove the apple stems from the apples. Then, clean and dry them. Insert sticks in the center and set aside.
- Heat water in a saucepan. When water starts to form bubbles, add in the sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring. Stir the mixture until sugar dissolves.
- Place the thermometer in the saucepan and continue heating mixture until it reaches 300 degrees. This will give a hard candy coating. For a softer coating, heat just until the temperature reaches 280 degrees.
- Remove from heat and immediately begin dipping apples.
- Place dipped apples on parchment paper or muffin cups and allow them to cool completely.
Other Posts You May Be Interested In:
Make these Trick or Treat gift boxes to hand out candy in style!
Serve up these healthy Halloween snacks as an alternative to candy.
Black Candy Apples
Ingredients
- 6 apples
- 2 c sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 c of light corn syrup
- Black food coloring
Instructions
- Remove the apple stems from the apples. Then, clean and dry the apples.
- Insert sticks in the center and set aside.
- Heat water in a saucepan. When water starts to form bubbles, add in the sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring. Stir the mixture until sugar dissolves.
- Place the thermometer in the saucepan and continue heating mixture until it reaches 300 degrees (for a chewier coating, heat to 280 degrees).
- Remove from heat and immediately begin dipping apples.
- Place dipped apples on parchment paper and allow to cool completely.
