Homemade Caramel Apples

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I just love these homemade caramel apples. The sweetness of the caramel combined with the tartness of the apple and the crunch from the nuts is pure heaven on a stick.

What do you think of when you think of homemade caramel apples? Maybe you think of a comfort fall treat? Maybe you think of childhood memories of trick or treating and that one house always gave them away? Or maybe you think of the vendors selling them at pumpkin patches, corn mazes, etc.?

I definitely have fond memories of eating them growing up. This step-by-step recipe will show you how to make homemade caramel apples from scratch. They are so delicious! And with the leftovers, you can make yummy soft caramel candies. If I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Gather the ingredients

In order to make homemade caramel apples you need just a handful of easy to find ingredients:

• Apples – I like to use Granny Smith, because they are tart, and one of my favorite if not my favorite apples. But you can use whatever kind of apple that you like.
• Brown sugar – You may use either light or dark brown sugar.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted.
• Salt – Cut the salt in half if using salted butter.
• Heavy whipping cream
• Corn syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Nuts – These are optional, and there are other optional ingredients like chocolate, sprinkles, shredded coconut, etc. That can go on the caramel apples when they are made.

Tools

• Heavy bottom 3-quart pot or larger
• Caramel apple sticks, bamboo skewers, wooden flat popsicle sticks, etc.
• Sheet pan
• Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
• Wooden Spoon or silicone spoon
• Knife
• Basting brush
• Cake knife, optional
• Candy thermometer

Step 2: How to make homemade caramel apples from scratch

Begin by prepping the apples. Again you can use whatever apples that you like. Wash the apples with really hot water. If you have the time, boil some water, put the apples in the water for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove them from the water and then dry them really well.

Why wash the apples with hot water? Washing the apples with hot water removes the film of wax that covers the apples. If you are using homegrown, you won’t need to worry about it. But most store-bought apples here in the States have the wax on them.

If you don’t take the wax off, the caramel won’t stick as well to the apples.

Take a special caramel apple stick or just use a bamboo skewer or wooden popsicle stick. I usually just sharpen bamboo dowels with a knife, haha.

Stick the apples in the core. This might take a bit of force, but it isn’t too difficult.

Set the apples on a sheet pan lined with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat.

*NOTE: Some recipes call to put the apples in the fridge or the freezer to get really cold, and others say to leave them at room temp. I have tried both ways and either works fine.

Step 3: Make the homemade caramel

Time to make the caramel from scratch. In a deep 3 quart or larger pot, add the sugar, salt, butter, heavy whipping cream, and corn syrup. Don’t use a skillet, it isn’t deep enough and the caramel is liable to overflow which would not be fun.

TIP: If you can use a pot with a heavy bottom, this promotes more even cooking.

Set the pot on the burner and set the heat to medium, 350 F/176 C. Stir continuously with a wooden or a silicone spoon until the butter melts and it barely starts to bubble, this will take 10 minutes or so to get to this point, maybe a bit longer, the time usually varies every time I make it.

Then brush down any sugar crystals that are clinging to the sides of the pot with a damp basting brush. If you leave them there, they may burn, and disrupt the caramel. So if you can, brush them down. I find with my enameled dutch oven, I don’t have as many crystals form as I do with my stainless steel pot.

Now don’t stir the caramel anymore. Just let it sit and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the temp reaches 235 to 245 F. (112-118C). This is the softball stage. I usually let it go closer to 245 F. I find the caramel turns out a bit better and clings to the apple a little better.

Once you reach the proper softball temperature, turn the heat off and remove the pot. Let it cool for a minute or two and then pour in the vanilla extract and gently stir it in, don’t stir it quickly, that will add unwanted bubbles.

NOTE: You really need to use a candy thermometer. It is just too hard to tell when it is at the correct temp. They are fairly cheap and come in super handy.

Step 4: Cool the caramel and dip the apples

Allow the caramel too cool, I usually pour it into a pyrex bowl, because it is easier to dip, but you can leave it in the pot as well, and then just tilt the pot when dipping.

Let the caramel cool to right around 190 F/88 C. This is the ideal dipping temperature. If the caramel is too hot it will be too runny and only add a thin layer of caramel, and then pool at the bottom, which is no fun.

Dip the apple in the caramel, then allow the excess to drain off. Use a butter knife or cake spatula and scrape some away from the bottom of the apple and scrape up a bit from the bottom. The caramel on the upper part will drain down a bit with gravity covering the bottom. At this point, you can also dip the caramel apple in a bowl of chopped nuts, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, etc.

Place the dipped homemade caramel apples on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper. Do not use wax paper. Sometimes I will even lightly spray the top of the parchment paper with cooking spray, but that isn’t necessary.

Put the pan of caramel apples in the fridge and allow the caramel to set for 45 minutes to an hour.

This recipe makes enough for 8 to 10 apples depending on the size of the apples.

How to make soft caramel candies from leftover caramel?

If you have leftover caramel, most likely you will, you can make awesome homemade soft caramel candies. Just pour the leftovers onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Then place it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes.

Once cooled remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board, but keep the caramel on the parchment paper. Cut up the caramel into little squares. If the caramel is too hard to cut, allow it to warm up a bit at room temperature and it will soften nicely.

You can wrap the homemade soft caramel candies with caramel candy wrappers, little pieces of parchment paper, or just leave as is. Just don’t stack them, they will stick to each other.

Step 5: Cut and serve the homemade caramel apples

Remove the homemade caramel apples from the fridge and allow them to sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.

While you can just bite into them, I am guessing your dentist will prefer you not to eat them that way, haha. Just cut down the sides with a knife and then slice them into bite-sized pieces. Easier to eat them this way anyway. But hey, I am not stopping you from biting into them! 🙂 Enjoy!

Tip (Decorating them): You can also dip the set caramel apples in chocolate, or drizzle chocolate on them, add sprinkles, etc. Have fun with it, or just leave them plain or with nuts only.

How long do caramel apples last?

If you store them in the fridge in an airtight container they will last for about a week. These do not freeze that well. The homemade caramel candy can last several months at room temperature, stored individually wrapped, or in layers with parchment paper in between and placed in an airtight container.

Homemade Caramel Apples Troubleshooting

Why did my caramel pool at the bottom? Why is the caramel so thin on the apple? These are common occurrences when making caramel apples at home.

I purposely made some that didn’t work out. If you run into the issue of the caramel not sticking to the apple or is very thinly covering it and just pooling at the bottom a few things could have happened:

1. The wax wasn’t washed off completely of the apples. You really need to use hot water and then dry them well to get that wax off.

2. The caramel was too hot while dipping. The best dipping temp is right around 190 F/88 C.

3. The caramel wasn’t cooked long enough, it needs to be between 235 F and 245 F. (112-118C). Make sure to use a candy thermometer!

Those three factors are usually the culprits, for failed homemade caramel apples. 🙂

Here are some other caramel related recipes you may like:

Caramel Rose Apple Pie

Caramel Sauce

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Snickers Crisper Copycat Recipe

Oreo Twix Bars

Do you like this recipe? Share and Pin it! Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.