Poison Toffee Apples for Halloween
These black Poison candy apples are the ultimate wickedly sinister Halloween treat and will make an excellent centerpiece.
As a child, eating a candy apple was the ultimate delight. I never felt guilty because well, it’s an apple! Yes, it has tons of sugar around it but who cares? It’s fruit! I would always crack the candy coating on the table because it was just too hard to bite through and I loved how it always made me feel so jolly when I ate it. And I now see that same joy on my kids’ faces when they eat them.
Making them is equally fun. Even more fun when they candy coating is a glossy, sinister black. They remind me of something Maleficent would serve. Just perfect for Halloween. I have made a whole batch and have wrapped them in cellophane, ready to give to the trick-or-treaters who have become a fun addition in the last few years. As South Africans, Halloween is not a holiday we normally celebrate but I just love the dressing up and the festivity of it all. These apples make a beautiful center piece and will add the appropriate amount of wickedness to your party.
Ingredients needed
- Apples. I used Granny Smith apples. I love how the green apples and black candy coating contrast but use any crisp, tart apple of your choice. Fuji, Honeycrisp, etc. work well.
- Sugar.
- Water.
- Corn syrup. Liquid glucose works equally well.
- Black food coloring. I used a gel food coloring.
How do I make candy apples?
- Prepare the apples and dipping station: Wash your apples in warm water (especially if they have a wax coating). Remove the stems from the apples. Skewer your apples with kebab sticks (or use branches from a non-toxic tree for a fun twist) and set aside. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and set aside. You could also allow the apples to set on a silicone mat.
- Make the candy coating: Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and black food coloring in a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Allow to come to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and wash down the sides of the pot with a wet brush. This prevents sugar crystals from falling into the caramel and causing it to crystallize. Cook the caramel until it’s reached the hard crack stage (150ºC/310ºF on a candy thermometer). To check if you’ve reached hard crack stage without a candy thermometer, simply drop a little of the boiling sugar mixture into a glass of ice cold water. The sugar should form hard, brittle threads.
- Dip the apples: Carefully dip the apples into the sweet candy coating. Carefully tip the pan to the side and swirl the apples into the candy mixture. Place on the prepared sheetpan and allow to cool and harden before serving.
What is the best apple to use for candy apples?
Granny Smith apples are perfect for toffee/candy apples. Their tart, crispness works very well with the sugary sweetness of the candy coating.
Can you put candy apples in the fridge?
You can, but it’s not recommended. The candy coating can start to sweat in the refrigerator and can slide off the apple. Rather wrap the cooled, hardened candy apples in cellophane and tie well to prevent any oxygen from getting to the apples. This way they will last up to 3-5 days at room temperature. The best way to prevent oxygenation though is to coat the apples and the entry point of the skewer into the apple completely in the candy coating. This way they can last up for 10 days.
Halloween recipes
Poison Toffee Apples for Halloween
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 cup liquid glucose/light corn syrup
- few drops black gel food colouring
- 6 Granny Smith apples or 12 small apples (Ensure your apples are fresh and haven’t been waxed)
Instructions
- Grease a piece of baking paper and place on a tray/baking sheet.
- Insert bamboo skewers in all the apples and set aside.
- Combine sugar, water, corn syrup and black food coloring in a saucepan and set over medium heat.
- Allow to come to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and wash down the sides of the pot with a wet brush. This prevents sugar crystals from falling into the caramel and causing it to crystallize.
- Cook the caramel until it's reached the hard crack stage (150ºC/310ºF on a candy thermometer). To check if you've reached hard crack stage without a candy thermometer, simply drop a little of the boiling sugar mixture into a glass of ice cold water. The sugar should form hard, brittle threads.
- Carefully dip the apples into the caramel mixture. Carefully tip the pan to the side and swirl the apples into the candy mixture.
- Place on the prepared sheet pan and allow to cool and harden before serving.
Pros regularly stick their fingers in boiling syrup. We just hold our hands in ice water until they ache first, then dip them in the syrup very quickly. No burns! It’s a pretty standard way to test the stage the syrup is at if you don’t have a thermometer, and was standard before reliable thermometers were common.
Thanks for the tip, I would still not suggest people who aren’t completely comfortable working with hot sugar do this.
It’s definitely something to be very very careful with, and I was terrified the first several times I did it. I never would have without a chef standing over me instructing me on how to do it safely, back in culinary school.
Will you get the same shiny effect with regular black food coloring vs. gel food coloring?
Yep, it’s the sugar that gives the shine. Gel food colouring is just a lot more pigmented so you don’t need to use as much.
Thanks for your comment. I’ve never made them with less corn syrup so I can’t verify if this will work but if anyone would like to give it a try, they’re welcome to!
How long do these keep for? I am having a party and I want to do these cause they are wickedly cool, but I want to do it the day before the party. Will they stay fresh in the fridge?
Meg, I would wrap them in cellophane and just keep them on your kitchen counter. Putting them in the fridge will cause the candy layer to start sweating and it might start pulling away from the apples. Because the candy layer preserves the apple in a way, they will be fine on your kitchen counter but be sure to cover them as they can draw moisture from the air and become tacky.
Is there a way to make it so it doesn’t break a tooth when biting into it? These look so cool, but I do not want my family biting into them thinking its like caramel and its a hard rock. so is there a way to make sure it doesn’t get rock hard?
Nikki, these are candy apples so the outside is meant to be really hard. If it doesn’t harden it will just be like syrup and won’t cling to the apple. I would just tell your family to be careful but really, we’ve eaten these many times and never have we broken a tooth while doing so.
ok thank you. My family has really sensitive teeth and really fragile teeth (I do not have kids but my mother and my stepfather are who I am talking about and myself) thank you for your response. 🙂
Decrease the amount of corn syrup and they won’t be so hard to bite into. I make them frequently and 1/8 to 1/4 cup of syrup is perfect. 1/2 cup makes them way too hard.
*snort*
Because the hard crack stage requires intervention…
You said to cook to 310 – hard crack? Isn’t that like peanut brittle? Don’t you want it to be creamier – like caramel?
Yep, that’s correct. These are candy apples so the coating needs to be hard like candy.
I want to make these and use them for a center piece… What I’d like to know is…. Can you also use the candy ingredients to make like rock candy and pour it out on a cookie sheet lined with spayed paper. Then break apart after it hardens? I like to do some black, deep blood red and some mixed to throw around the outer edges of the apples.
Carla, that is a fabulous idea and yes, it will definitely work. It will go rock hard like a proper candy. Please tweet/Instagram a photo and tag me in it when you have done this. I’d love to see it. Twitter: @SimplyDelishSA Instagram: @alidaryder
Mandy, I actually can’t remember but I don’t think they did. It all depends on the type of colouring you use. The gel colouring I use don’t often cause stains unless you get it on your skin in its pure form.
Do these turn your mouth black when you eat them? They look great.
You’re right, they would!
I’m thinking these would look pretty placed in Halloween cupcake liners!
This instruction is before the sugar has started boiling and while the syrup is just warm but definitely not hot. You are completely right, you should NOT try to touch the syrup once it’s hot.
Correct me if I am wrong…. but did I just read that you put in the recipe “and the mixture feels smooth when you rub it between your fingers” . In my experience that equals 3rd degree burns…. hot sugar and all that.
nice could do blood red with cinnamon flavor as well 😛
I now know what I’ll be making for my first attempt at a confectionery treat.
Let me know what you think once you’ve tried it!
Those look just amazing, what a brilliant idea! Superb photographs too.
Thanks Anna!
They look beautiful and sinister at the same time – what a great recipe! Thank you!! 🙂
Thanks!
so cool 🙂
Thanks Amanda.
I just made a batch today but the back didn’t turn out as black. What did you use. Being a cake decorator I know a true black is hard to get. What’ss your secret?
I just used a black gel food coloring I found at my local baking supplies store. I know many of them can be quite brown but the one I use (not sure what the brand is called) has a green tinge to it which helps with its rich black color, I’m sure.
Totally wicked! Love it 🙂 xx
Thanks Tami!