These black candy apples are ready to cast a sweet spell in your kitchen. Whether you call them candy apples or toffee apples, these shiny black beauties are a fun and spooky Halloween treat with a crisp candy shell and a juicy Granny Smith apple underneath.
For something a little less dark and ghoulish, try my vegan pumpkin cupcakes or black velvet cupcakes.
This recipe was originally posted on October 16, 2017 and was updated on October 5, 2021 with process images, ingredient advice and recipe tips.
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Why We Love These Black Candy Apples
Look at them! These apples are shiny, dark and wonderfully spooky - exactly what I want from a Halloween treat.
Ingredients & Equipment
To make these Halloween candy apples, you'll need a candy thermometer, clean pastry brush, small bowl of water and heavy-based saucepan.
Apples. Apples. Granny Smith apples are my pick for these toffee apples. They're firm, tart and wonderfully green, which makes them the perfect contrast to that glossy black candy coating. I've found the toffee can pucker and bubble with other varieties, and while they'll still taste delicious, they won't have quite the same smooth, devilishly inviting poison-apple look we're after. Make sure you wash and dry the apples really well before dipping.
Sugar. Use either raw or regular caster sugar which is available in most Australian supermarkets.
Cream of Tartar: A little cream of tartar helps prevent sugar crystals from forming as the candy cooks.
Activated charcoal. I use food-grade activated charcoal made from coconut to give these apples their deep black colour. You can substitute ½ teaspoon of black food colouring if you prefer not to use charcoal.
Please note: Activated charcoal can interfere with the absorption of certain medications and may make them less effective. If you take medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist before consuming foods containing activated charcoal.
You can also use a half teaspoon of black food colouring.
White vinegar: Vinegar helps create a thinner, crisper candy shell.
How to Make Black Toffee Apples
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Before we begin, a witchy word of warning - Please be careful when making toffee apples. Working with boiling sugar is genuinely hazardous.
Also, if you choose to use natural twigs for your poison apples, avoid Oleander, Laurel, Rhododendron, Horsechestnut, Buckeye, Yew, Azalea, Cherry, Elderberry and Black Locust. If you are not sure which plants are toxic, stick with popsicle sticks.
Step 1. Prepare the apples
Clean and dry the apples really well before removing the stem and pushing in a food-safe stick or popsicle stick.
I found a helpful video showing how to remove wax from apples from Art Is In Cakes.
Step 2. Bring sugar up to a boil
Combine the toffee ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and, stirring occasionally, bring the mixture up to a boil.
Once boiling, pop the candy thermometer securely into the pan and continue to boil, aiming for 150°C or 300°F. During this process, you'll also want to brush any crystals that form near the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush. Reduce the heat to low.
Reduce the heat to low. Most recipes recommend removing the pan from the heat at this point, but I find keeping it over low heat makes the dipping process much easier because the toffee stays thin.
Step 3. Dip the apples
Wait for the candy to stop bubbling. To dip the apples, carefully tip the pan to one side and dip one side of the apple into the mixture, rotating it until it is covered. Lift the apple over the pot to allow any excess to drip off before placing it on the baking paper to cool and harden.
And that, my friends, is it. Ah, whimsy. I do love you. Enjoy, x.
Tips For Making Perfect Toffee Apples
FAQs
Yup! Toffee apples and candy apples are the same thing. Both candy and toffee apples have a thin, crisp candy coating while caramel apples are coating in, you guessed it, caramel.
You can use pretty much any apple for toffee apples but Granny Smith are my pick. They are a robust apple with a great contrasting green colour.
The hard candy coating on the outside of the candy apples will last a good while, but the apple itself won't because air gets in where the stick is inserted.
Candy apples can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Alternatively, they can also be stored in the refrigerator wrapped and secured in cellophane.
More Halloween Inspiration
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Make This Recipe
Black Candy Apple Recipe
Equipment
- candy thermometer
- a wet pastry brush
- popsicle sticks
Ingredients
- 8 Granny Smith Apples washed with a wet cloth and dried thoroughly
For the Toffee
- 2 cups raw caster sugar or regular caster sugar
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon food grade activated charcoal powder or ½ teaspoon of black food colour
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with grease proof paper.
- Insert a stick in to each apple at the top (the part that was attached to the tree)
- Place all the toffee ingredients in a medium sized, heavy based saucepan and put over low to medium heat.
- While stirring, bring the toffee slowly to a boil allowing the sugar to melt completely.
- When the toffee comes to the boil, stop stirring and allow the mixture to bubble away until it reaches 150 degrees C (cracking point). This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. Use the wet pastry brush to wipe away any crystallisation from the sides of the pan. If you don't have a candy thermometer, drop a small dollop of toffee in a cup of cold water. If the toffee is ready, it will harden and need to crack to be broken. Remove the thermometer for the next step.
- When the toffee is ready, turn the heat to low and very carefully tip the pot on an angle. Holding the apple by the stick, gently swirl the apple in the toffee. When it is coated, hold it above the toffee to drip before placing it back on the lined tray to harden.
- Repeat with the remaining apples.
- Leave the apples for around ten minutes to completely set before placing in cellophane bags or simply serve.
- Serve straight away or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Buy organic or unwaxed apples if you can. Wax is a culprit for causing bubbles in the finished candy coating.
- Wash and dry the apples really well. Water is another cause of bubbles in candy apples.
- Keep a close eye on the boiling sugar. Some stove tops heat faster than others. Always use the candy thermometer and watch it closely. Fight the temptation to check Facebook, Instagram or any other face numbing social media.
- Bring the lined baking tray as close to the pan as you can when dipping to reduce the risk of burning yourself.
- Wait for the candy to stop bubbling before dipping the apples to help prevent bubbles forming in your candy.
- I find the dipping process far easier with the heat under the toffee pan turned to low instead of turned off completely. You have to be super careful, but the heat keeps the toffee thin while if you remove it from the heat, the toffee begins to thicken making it hard work. The black toffee cracks perfectly revealing a juicy green Granny Smith that is wonderfully spooky like a witch's boot.
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Shilpi & Etienne says
Such a great recipe for Halloween! I don't think I have ever had toffee apples so will definitely be making these soon! Love that you skipped using artificial food colouring and instead have used activated charcoal!
Sylvie says
How gorgeous are they!? Love that you use activated charcoal instead of food colouring
Amanda says
Thanks so much Sylvie. I really enjoyed playing with the charcoal - I use it in my black brioche burgers buns too. So fun.
SARAH says
These are evoking all sorts of Snow White images for me! The kids will adore these for Halloween, so much fun!
Leatrix Turner says
made them per your recipe and they turned out perfect, thank you!
Amanda says
That's so great! I am so glad. Thanks for letting me know Leatrix (what a fantastic name, by the way). 🙂
Jules says
Can I use raw cane sugar? Never heard of caster sugar. Did you use regular branches as sticks?
Amanda says
Hi Jules,
Caster sugar is fine sugar but you could use a regular sugar (maybe not a chunky brown sugar though) it will just take a little longer for it to dissolve. The only thing to make sure with the twigs is that they are food-safe and they don't come from poisonous trees. A few poisonous plant varieties you DO NOT want to us are Oleander, Laurel, Rhododendron, Horsechestnut, Buckeye, Yew, Azalea, Cherry, Elderberry and Black Locust. I used branches from a large Lilly Pilly in my garden - we don't spray with any pesticides- but that is an Australian tree. If you are not sure, go with good old store-bought sticks and decorate them. 🙂 A.
Gloriana says
What brand of activated charcoal did you use? Thanks!
Amanda says
Hi Gloriana,
I used Pure Eden activated charcoal and it worked a treat! A.
Pete says
Wow. I made these and they turned out exactly the same as the pictures. Thank you!
Michelle | The Last Food Blog says
These are so devilishly beautiful! I love that they are so dark and glossy! Your daughter is obviously a genius, that is the perfect halloween costume. My daughter on the other hand really wants to go as slender man, so I'm starting to worry just a little bit 😉 x
Amanda says
Who or what is "slender man"?! xx 🙂