Spooky Black Caramel Apples
Spooky homemade black caramel apples, a fun treat perfect for Halloween parties!
It’s hard to believe we’re already less than three weeks away from Halloween! How on earth did that happen?
As a kid, I was always excited for Halloween, for obvious reasons… Getting to dress up, walk around in the dark with my friends and get tons of candy! Not much has changed really… for kids, not me. You won’t catch me dressing up these days. But, I may or may not sneak some candy when no one is looking. Shhh it’ll be our little secret.
One of my favorite memories from Halloween time – apples, of all varieties! Caramel. Candy. Even bobbing for apples (though let’s be honest, looking back, that’s pretty gross). So, I knew I had to share a fun Halloween themed recipe incorporating one of my absolute favorite things – apples!
Homemade caramel apples are really easy and a must make Fall treat!
Perfect for the season, I put a fun and spooky spin on caramel apples, adding McCormick black food coloring to the mix!
These are the perfect addition to any Halloween party. Kids and adults will love them!
And psst… this is super easy and quick caramel, made in the microwave! So, there is absolutely no need to stand over the stove stirring away! And that also means, there is no reason for you to not make these! They’re a must make!
Having a fun Halloween party? Add these spooky black caramel apples to your plans!
Looking for even more ideas? McCormick has lots of fun Halloween recipes to choose from, like these black velvet whoopie pies and much more!
Spooky Black Caramel Apples
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp corn syrup
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 1/4 C heavy cream
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tsp McCormick black food coloring
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Prepare apples: wash, dry and remove stems. Insert sticks or popsicle/craft sticks. Set aside.
- In a medium heat proof bowl, add corn syrup, water and granulated sugar. Microwave for 5-7 minutes until mixture boils and turns a light amber color. Watch closely and remove immediately after it has reached ideal shade.
- Stir in heavy cream, followed by salt, vanilla and food coloring. Mix until well incorporated. Finally stir in butter until smooth.
- Immediately dip and coat one apple at a time. Tilt and rotate to coat completely. Hold over bowl with stick up, allowing excess to drip off or 10-15 seconds. Flip upside down, with stick down, letting caramel set for 15-20 seconds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples.
- Chill for at least 30-60 minutes to completely set caramel.
- Can be made up to a day ahead.
Notes
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by McCormick. I was compensated for my time. As always, all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
This post contains affiliate links.
These are fantastic! A must for a Halloween gathering!
Thanks Marjory!
Can I have a lesson in how to make caramel apples? My caramel always comes off! But these, oh gosh, AMAZING!
I was honestly scared it would be a giant flop. My guess is either your caramel was too hot or yours had a wax coating (shiny store bought vs farm). Give it a try again soon :)
Very very cool Rachel!!
Thanks Sommer!
These are so cute! I bet the kids went crazy over these beauties. So perfect for Halloween.
Thank you! They loved them!
Gorgeous! Love love how perfectly black and shiny the coating is on the apples! Pinned!
Thanks Anna!
Wow! So fun and festive! Love how shiny they are too!
Thanks Laura!
Caramel apples with microwave caramel is genius! Love the color too – so perfect for Halloween.
Thanks so much Laura!
Gorgeous photos Rachel! Love the simplicity of it. And those caramel apples…too die for!!
Thanks Meg! :)
These are SO fun!! What perfect caramel apples for Halloween!
Thanks so much Deborah! :)
Now THAT’S a caramel apple for Halloween. Absolutely love the black. Gorgeous!! Pinned.
Thanks Amy!! :)
I love these! Not a huge halloween fan food normally but these are just too cute! Stumbled and pinned!
Thanks Dani :)
I love them!! They are so perfect for the season!
Thanks Katrina!! :)
ahhh, these are SO cool!
Thank you! :)
Love this!!! Halloween is my favorite…because its my birthday and it’s just awesome haha
Thank you and happy early birthday!! :)
Haha, bobbing for apples IS gross! But, these black apples are freaking awesome! Love Them!
Seriously gross lol let’s never bring back that game. :)
Now those are some creepy looking caramel apples. Perfect for Halloween!
Thank you!! :)
These are soooo awesome and spooky, Rachel! Love them!
Thanks Rachel!
That is so super cool looking. Beautiful photos, I love how dark the black is, so pretty.
Thank you! :)
Oh those apples are super cool! I love how shiny they are, perfect for Halloween!
Thank you Liz! :)
You are brilliant! Loving these spooky treat!
Thanks Kristen!
These are amazing! Loving that you turned caramel apples into a spooky treat!
Thanks Liz! :)
These are so cool! Love the color!
Thanks Stephanie! :)
Fantastic idea! i love that black color!
Thanks Medeja! :)
These are gorgeous! I love the spooky black addition-my kids will devour these!
Thanks Lisa!
Those are totally cool, I would never have thought of putting food colouring in caramel! I’ve never made caramel apples, will have to try that. The kids would love these!
Thanks Stacey! :)
Absolutely stunning and gorgeous!
Thanks Alice! :)
Oh my! These are AMAZING!
Thanks Amanda!
Those are really cool. Never seen black ones before.
Thanks so much!
These are so COOL!!!! Perfectly dipped and perfectly photographed! Such a great idea for Halloween. Pinned
Thanks Lindsey!
Was wondering about how many apples this caramel mixture will cover. Thanks.
The recipe states it will make 5 apples. So, roughly 5 medium apples or more if the apples are smaller.
These are so cool for Halloween! I’ve not seen this black food coloring before, but it really makes these apples extra fun!
Thanks Amy! You should be able to find it near the other food coloring in your local stores! :)
Do we need to buy little caramel cubes? It doesn’t say that we need caramel in the ingridents? Also, how do we keep them fresh if we make them a night before we pass them out?
No, the recipe listed makes homemade caramel from scratch. No store bought caramel bits or cubes are needed. I prefer storing my apples in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.
Help! My caramel doesn’t stick completely. The color of the apples comes out. . Not sure what I did wrong. Not sure if I should re-dip.
Typically there are two reasons why caramel won’t stick. The first being that the caramel is too hot. If it cools down and thickens a bit, it’s more likely to adhere to the apples. The other reason could be the apples themselves. If they have a waxy coating, sometimes the caramel won’t stick. If you’re able to wash off the waxy coating, it should stick.
Hello, I love your idea and these apples are beautiful. I was wodering if this recipe only worked on black (fc). Can I change the color?
I haven’t personally tried with other colors yet but I’m sure it would work. The amount of food coloring needed may vary per color, so play around with that to get the shade you’re looking for. Good luck! :)
Does the food coloring dye your teeth when you eat them?
It’s been quite a while since I last made them so I don’t recall completely. As with anything that has food dye, there is always a risk of some transfer but how much, I can’t be sure.
Hey Rachel, I’ve searched all the comments and no one else has inquired about what kind of sticks you used for the apples. Are they real or store bought? If real, which kinds are safe? If fake, where can I buy them?
So funny you asked that. I used real sticks, but you could use regular white lollipop sticks or wood popsicle sticks. I haven’t seen these in a store yet, but Wilton has branch sticks that would be a cute option!
they look awesome ! Can I use regular bagged caramels and melt those and just add the black food coloring or will it not come out the same?
I have not personally tried it that way, so I can’t be 100% sure if it will work well or not.
I would like to use the stove top. Do I cook until HARD CRACK stage?
Follow the directions as you would with my stovetop caramel sauce recipe.
Wow, what a waste of time this recipe was. This dip for the apples DOES NOT set. I was extremely careful to follow directions very carefully. I tried adding more butter and sugar. Even in the refrigerator it stayed too runny to stick to the apples. I wasted over an hour and just got black crap everywhere. I ended up just taking the candy sugar kit from the supermarket and adding a ton of the black food coloring and that worked much better.
The recipe is correct as written and does work beautifully, as you can see from the images. It sounds as though your caramel was too hot. There is a note within the recipe section explaining this exact issue. If it’s too hot, it will not stick to the apples. It must cool a bit and thicken up slightly for it to adhere well. Also, if you are using apples from the grocery store that have a waxy finish, any caramel will have trouble sticking as well.
Love these black caramel apples for Halloween! I just had to include them in my round up of Lovely Halloween Apple ideas this year!
Thanks Emily!
Don’t know what I’m doing wrong… cleaned the apples with hot water to get rid of wax. It’s been 2 hrs n has not set
Unfortunately without being there, I can’t know exactly what went wrong for you. Having the ingredients measured right and the caramel at the proper temperature is ideal for it to work right. Caramel can be finicky.
Hello , I was wondering if this will work on mini Apples?? When u take and make little balls out of the apples. Not sure if it would wreck the apples since u won’t have the skin to protect it.
I wouldn’t recommend it, as the food coloring will likely dye the apple flesh as well.
Hi,
Do you think these could be made in another color besides black, like Navy Blue or Gray?
Certain colors will work much better than others. It’s definitely worth trying though! :)
im wanting to make a crunchy caramel popcorn…how might this recipe work?
I haven’t tried using this particular caramel for popcorn, so I can’t promise it would work with the amount of food coloring used. If you decide to give it a try, follow the baking instructions from my caramel popcorn recipe. Good luck!
Just finished making a couple dozen for my daughter’s 16th birthday party. After learning what too dark amber looked like, we had it down pat! It’s actually quick and easy. Plus, the apples look and taste great.
So glad you enjoyed the apples and had no difficulty! Thanks for sharing, Ceeley! :)
These look amazing! I’m wondering if I can sprinkle some edible glitter on top before the caramel hardens?
That should work just fine!
About how many apples can you coat with this recipe? If it says it in your blog im dumb and missed it lol
The recipe mentions it is enough for 5 apples. However, this will also depend greatly upon the size of your apple and how thick your caramel mixture is. If you use small apples, you can stretch the caramel out to coat many more than stated.