Spooky Black Caramel Apples

By Rachel // October 13, 2014 // 94 comments //

Spooky homemade black caramel apples, a fun treat perfect for Halloween parties!

Spooky black caramel apples recipe from @bakedbyrachel Perfect for Halloween!

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.

Spooky black caramel apples recipe from @bakedbyrachel Perfect for Halloween!

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!

Spooky black caramel apples recipe from @bakedbyrachel Perfect for Halloween!

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!

Spooky black caramel apples recipe from @bakedbyrachel Perfect for Halloween!

Looking for even more ideas? McCormick has lots of fun Halloween recipes to choose from, like these black velvet whoopie pies and much more!

Print Recipe

Spooky Black Caramel Apples

Spooky homemade black caramel apples, a fun treat perfect for Halloween parties!

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Apple, Caramel, Halloween

Servings: 5 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

*If caramel doesn't immediately stick to the apple, the caramel may be too hot and liquidy. Stir until slightly cooler and thicker.

**If caramel thickens quickly, reheat in the microwave or over a saucepan of simmering water until it is of pourable consistency again.

An original recipe from Baked by Rachel

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.

94 Responses to “Spooky Black Caramel Apples”

#
1

Marjory @ Dinner-Mom — October 13, 2014 at 7:57 am

These are fantastic! A must for a Halloween gathering!
- #
  1.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:00 pm
  
  Thanks Marjory!
#
2

Beth @ The First Year — October 13, 2014 at 8:00 am

Can I have a lesson in how to make caramel apples? My caramel always comes off! But these, oh gosh, AMAZING!
- #
  2.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:01 pm
  
  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 :)
#
3

Sommer@ASpicyPerspective — October 13, 2014 at 8:13 am

Very very cool Rachel!!
- #
  3.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Thanks Sommer!
#
4

Nutmeg Nanny — October 13, 2014 at 8:16 am

These are so cute! I bet the kids went crazy over these beauties. So perfect for Halloween.
- #
  4.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Thank you! They loved them!
#
5

Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet — October 13, 2014 at 8:17 am

Gorgeous! Love love how perfectly black and shiny the coating is on the apples! Pinned!
- #
  5.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Thanks Anna!
#
6

Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) — October 13, 2014 at 8:30 am

Wow! So fun and festive! Love how shiny they are too!
- #
  6.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Thanks Laura!
#
7

Laura Dembowski — October 13, 2014 at 8:43 am

Caramel apples with microwave caramel is genius! Love the color too – so perfect for Halloween.
- #
  7.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Thanks so much Laura!
#
8

Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files — October 13, 2014 at 8:58 am

Gorgeous photos Rachel! Love the simplicity of it. And those caramel apples…too die for!!
- #
  8.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Thanks Meg! :)
#
9

Deborah — October 13, 2014 at 9:22 am

These are SO fun!! What perfect caramel apples for Halloween!
- #
  9.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
  
  Thanks so much Deborah! :)
#
10

Amy @Very Culinary — October 13, 2014 at 9:44 am

Now THAT’S a caramel apple for Halloween. Absolutely love the black. Gorgeous!! Pinned.
- #
  10.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
  
  Thanks Amy!! :)
#
11

Dani Meyer — October 13, 2014 at 10:09 am

I love these! Not a huge halloween fan food normally but these are just too cute! Stumbled and pinned!
- #
  11.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
  
  Thanks Dani :)
#
12

Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen — October 13, 2014 at 10:35 am

I love them!! They are so perfect for the season!
- #
  12.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
  
  Thanks Katrina!! :)
#
13

Angelyn @ Everyday Desserts — October 13, 2014 at 11:33 am

ahhh, these are SO cool!
- #
  13.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
  
  Thank you! :)
#
14

Samantha @FerraroKitchen — October 13, 2014 at 1:17 pm

Love this!!! Halloween is my favorite…because its my birthday and it’s just awesome haha
- #
  14.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
  
  Thank you and happy early birthday!! :)
#
15

Nicole — October 13, 2014 at 2:02 pm

Haha, bobbing for apples IS gross! But, these black apples are freaking awesome! Love Them!
- #
  15.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:04 pm
  
  Seriously gross lol let’s never bring back that game. :)
#
16

Cookin Canuck — October 13, 2014 at 2:16 pm

Now those are some creepy looking caramel apples. Perfect for Halloween!
- #
  16.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:04 pm
  
  Thank you!! :)
#
17

Rachel Cooks — October 13, 2014 at 2:48 pm

These are soooo awesome and spooky, Rachel! Love them!
- #
  17.1
  
  Rachel — October 13, 2014 at 5:04 pm
  
  Thanks Rachel!
#
18

fabiola@notjustbaked — October 13, 2014 at 6:57 pm

That is so super cool looking. Beautiful photos, I love how dark the black is, so pretty.
- #
  18.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 7:12 am
  
  Thank you! :)
#
19

Liz@HoosierHomemade — October 13, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Oh those apples are super cool! I love how shiny they are, perfect for Halloween!
- #
  19.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 7:13 am
  
  Thank you Liz! :)
#
20

Kristen — October 13, 2014 at 8:49 pm

You are brilliant! Loving these spooky treat!
- #
  20.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 7:13 am
  
  Thanks Kristen!
#
21

Liz @ Floating Kitchen — October 13, 2014 at 10:56 pm

These are amazing! Loving that you turned caramel apples into a spooky treat!
- #
  21.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 7:14 am
  
  Thanks Liz! :)
#
22

Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. — October 14, 2014 at 12:09 am

These are so cool! Love the color!
- #
  22.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 7:14 am
  
  Thanks Stephanie! :)
#
23

Medeja — October 14, 2014 at 6:04 am

Fantastic idea! i love that black color!
- #
  23.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 7:15 am
  
  Thanks Medeja! :)
#
24

Lisa @ Garnish with Lemon — October 14, 2014 at 7:17 am

These are gorgeous! I love the spooky black addition-my kids will devour these!
- #
  24.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 8:41 pm
  
  Thanks Lisa!
#
25

Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. — October 14, 2014 at 5:06 pm

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!
- #
  25.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 8:42 pm
  
  Thanks Stacey! :)
#
26

alice — October 14, 2014 at 8:12 pm

Absolutely stunning and gorgeous!
- #
  26.1
  
  Rachel — October 14, 2014 at 8:42 pm
  
  Thanks Alice! :)
#
27

Amanda — October 14, 2014 at 9:51 pm

Oh my! These are AMAZING!
- #
  27.1
  
  Rachel — October 15, 2014 at 7:03 am
  
  Thanks Amanda!
#
28

Peabody (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody) — October 16, 2014 at 5:24 pm

Those are really cool. Never seen black ones before.
- #
  28.1
  
  Rachel — October 17, 2014 at 6:54 am
  
  Thanks so much!
#
29

Lindsey+@+American+Heritage+Cooking — October 18, 2014 at 7:37 pm

These are so COOL!!!! Perfectly dipped and perfectly photographed! Such a great idea for Halloween. Pinned
- #
  29.1
  
  Rachel — October 19, 2014 at 10:11 am
  
  Thanks Lindsey!
#
30

Julie — October 19, 2014 at 1:11 pm

Was wondering about how many apples this caramel mixture will cover. Thanks.
- #
  30.1
  
  Rachel — October 19, 2014 at 6:01 pm
  
  The recipe states it will make 5 apples. So, roughly 5 medium apples or more if the apples are smaller.
#
31

Amy (Savory Moments) — October 23, 2014 at 9:08 am

These are so cool for Halloween! I’ve not seen this black food coloring before, but it really makes these apples extra fun!
- #
  31.1
  
  Rachel — October 23, 2014 at 12:55 pm
  
  Thanks Amy! You should be able to find it near the other food coloring in your local stores! :)
#
32

Baylee H. — October 29, 2014 at 11:20 pm

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?
- #
  32.1
  
  Rachel — October 30, 2014 at 7:34 am
  
  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.
#
33

Ana C — October 30, 2014 at 7:22 pm

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.
- #
  33.1
  
  Rachel — October 30, 2014 at 7:56 pm
  
  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.
#
34

Erica — November 21, 2014 at 9:17 am

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?
- #
  34.1
  
  Rachel — November 21, 2014 at 7:12 pm
  
  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! :)
#
35

Bodie — October 14, 2015 at 3:47 pm

Does the food coloring dye your teeth when you eat them?
- #
  35.1
  
  Rachel — October 15, 2015 at 7:46 am
  
  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.
#
36

Zachary Williams — October 17, 2015 at 7:43 pm

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?
- #
  36.1
  
  Rachel — October 18, 2015 at 3:25 pm
  
  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!
#
37

Nadia Weidenfeller — October 20, 2015 at 1:02 pm

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?
- #
  37.1
  
  Rachel — October 20, 2015 at 4:33 pm
  
  I have not personally tried it that way, so I can’t be 100% sure if it will work well or not.
#
38

Karina — October 28, 2015 at 12:02 pm

I would like to use the stove top. Do I cook until HARD CRACK stage?
- #
  38.1
  
  Rachel — October 28, 2015 at 1:11 pm
  
  Follow the directions as you would with my stovetop caramel sauce recipe.
#
39

Bridget — October 31, 2015 at 3:02 pm

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.
- #
  39.1
  
  Rachel — November 1, 2015 at 7:51 am
  
  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.
#
40

Emily {B. Lovely Events} — November 7, 2015 at 12:42 pm

Love these black caramel apples for Halloween! I just had to include them in my round up of Lovely Halloween Apple ideas this year!
- #
  40.1
  
  Rachel — November 8, 2015 at 8:05 am
  
  Thanks Emily!
#
41

veronica — September 1, 2016 at 11:57 pm

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
- #
  41.1
  
  Rachel — September 2, 2016 at 7:30 am
  
  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.
#
42

Stephanie — October 19, 2016 at 10:52 pm

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.
- #
  42.1
  
  Rachel — October 20, 2016 at 7:15 am
  
  I wouldn’t recommend it, as the food coloring will likely dye the apple flesh as well.
#
43

Meshian — April 27, 2017 at 11:03 am

Hi,

Do you think these could be made in another color besides black, like Navy Blue or Gray?
- #
  43.1
  
  Rachel — April 27, 2017 at 6:19 pm
  
  Certain colors will work much better than others. It’s definitely worth trying though! :)
#
44

Lissa — May 27, 2017 at 11:17 pm

im wanting to make a crunchy caramel popcorn…how might this recipe work?
- #
  44.1
  
  Rachel — May 30, 2017 at 7:00 am
  
  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!
#
45

Ceeley Williams — July 13, 2017 at 6:12 pm

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.
- #
  45.1
  
  Rachel — July 16, 2017 at 8:14 am
  
  So glad you enjoyed the apples and had no difficulty! Thanks for sharing, Ceeley! :)
#
46

April — August 24, 2017 at 11:54 am

These look amazing! I’m wondering if I can sprinkle some edible glitter on top before the caramel hardens?
- #
  46.1
  
  Rachel — August 30, 2017 at 9:18 am
  
  That should work just fine!
#
47

Brittany — September 28, 2018 at 2:39 pm

About how many apples can you coat with this recipe? If it says it in your blog im dumb and missed it lol
- #
  47.1
  
  Rachel — September 28, 2018 at 3:48 pm
  
  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.

Spooky Black Caramel Apples