Learn how to make real homemade caramel apples with my success tips, video tutorial, and carefully explained recipe. This from-scratch caramel is buttery, sweet, and if cooked a little longer, is also excellent for soft caramel candies. This festive fall dessert is always fun to make, decorate, serve, and eat!
Fall is in full swing and what better way to celebrate than with a traditional county fair inspired treat?! Besides with a slice apple pie or pumpkin pie, of course.
I originally published homemade caramel apples in my cookbook Sally’s Candy Addiction. There you’ll also find candy how-to’s and recipes including toffee, candy apples, caramels, fudge, truffles, chocolate bark, taffy, and marshmallows. I decided to slightly adapt my original recipe, adding a little more butter and corn syrup for a softer, silkier caramel coating.
Real Homemade Caramel Apples
Apple cupcakes with salted caramel frosting are certainly a favorite, but today we’re making real homemade caramel apples with caramel cooked completely from scratch on the stove. No store-bought caramel candies or coatings because you can truly taste the difference between that and homemade. If cooked a little longer, this real caramel can be made into soft caramel candies like these soft caramel candies. Today I’m sharing the recipe, all my recommended tools, tips for success, and showing you a video tutorial so you can see just how easy it is to make real caramel for homemade caramel apples.
Caramel Apples Video Tutorial
What Does the Caramel Taste Like?
My salted caramel is perfect for garnishing desserts, filling cakes, and as a dip for apple slices. However, it’s not suitable for coating apples because it’s too thin and won’t set properly—it’s missing corn syrup and the proper sugar to fat ratio.
The homemade caramel we’ll use for caramel apples is soft, chewy, buttery, a little taffy-like, and adheres to the apple easily. If applied lightly, the caramel won’t pool down at the bottom of the apple. Let’s break down the ingredients you need for homemade caramel coating and why each are imperative to the taste and texture. Cooking candy is actual chemistry, so there’s no room for substitutions.
Ingredients in Real Homemade Caramel
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream/heavy whipping cream is the base for caramel. Any milk or half-and-half are too thin and won’t cook properly.
- Light Corn Syrup: Corn syrup is liquid sugar made from corn. Like all refined sugars, corn syrup doesn’t have an ideal nutritional profile. (Corn syrup used in home kitchens is not high-fructose corn syrup. HFCS goes through an additional refining process.) Corn syrup is required as it acts as the sticky, taffy-like base for caramel apples. Without it, the caramel will slide right off the apple (just as my salted caramel would). Though other liquid sweeteners can sometimes be substituted for corn syrup, candy making is not one of those instances. For organic non-GMO corn syrup, I like Wholesome brand.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is softer and more flavorful than regular white sugar, so I love using it in caramel coating recipes.
- Butter: Butter adds unbeatable flavor and a desirably soft texture.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Both ingredients add incredible flavor. Add the vanilla extract after you remove the cooked caramel from heat.
How to Make Homemade Caramel Apples
Now that you have your ingredients, let’s make caramel apples. First, rinse and dry the apples. Apples have a waxy coating that will prevent the caramel from sticking, so it’s important to wash and dry it off. Make sure the apples are cold, which helps prevent the caramel from slipping off.
Pull out the apple’s stem and insert a caramel apple stick.
For the caramel, cook the first 5 ingredients on the stove until the candy reaches 235°F (113°C), known as the Soft Ball Stage in candy cooking terms. Reaching 235°F (113°C) should take about 15 – 20 minutes, though don’t use the time as your stopping point because it really depends on your stove—electric stoves may take a little longer than gas stoves. But you won’t mind waiting because this caramel smells INCREDIBLE as it cooks. Some readers have been cooking to 240°F (116°C) and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F – 240°F.
Remove caramel from heat, then stir in the vanilla. Allow caramel to cool for a few minutes, then dip your apples. Let the excess caramel drip off, then place on a nonstick surface such as a silicone baking mat lined baking sheet.
Enjoy immediately or let the caramel set, about 45 minutes. Once set, you can wrap the caramel apples in cellophane for travel or gifting. Stand the apples in these adorable cellophane bags, then wrap the cellophane around the stick with a cute ribbon. Sweetest homemade gift around.
Slow Cooker to Keep Warm
Caramel must be prepared on the stove as instructed. However, after the caramel has cooked, you can keep it warm in a slow cooker on the low setting. Give it a gentle stir every 10 minutes to ensure the butter doesn’t separate. This is a great idea if you want to have a party where everyone can coat their own caramel apples!
Best Apples for Caramel Apples
You can use any variety of apple you enjoy such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. Granny Smith are a popular choice for caramel apples because they’re tart, which pairs perfectly with sweet buttery caramel. Whichever variety you use, look for:
- small to medium size
- as perfectly round as you can find
- firm with no soft spots
Let’s talk tools. We need the same items used for pumpkin spice toffee. In fact, most candy recipes require the same exact tools. And did you know that most homemade candy is gluten free? You don’t need flour to make caramel, toffee, chocolate truffles, or fudge.
Tools You Need for Caramel Apples
- Candy Thermometer: This tool literally makes the entire caramel cooking process EASY FOR YOU because there’s no mistaking temperature. I highly recommend a digital candy thermometer that clips onto your pot like this one or this one. If calibrated, a candy thermometer is 1000x more accurate than using your eyes to detect candy’s doneness. See My Favorite Candy Making Tools for how/why to calibrate.
- Heavy bottomed saucepan: I’ve ruined many batches of caramel because of a cheap pan. The ideal place for cooking candy is a deep and thick saucepan with straight sides. Thin pans, which often have hot spots, do not withstand the heat required for these recipes. These days I have a few pans I use for making toffee: here and here. The Cooks Standard is a great option for beginners, while the All-Clad is ideal for controlling the temperature of your candy.
- Wooden spoon: Wood has a high heat tolerance. It also doesn’t conduct heat, so it won’t suck heat out from the cooking candy which causes crystallization. I just bought this set and LOVE them. (Crystallization is the formation of lumpy, grainy sugar crystals in otherwise smooth cooking candy.)
- Pastry brush: A pastry brush helps rid the saucepan of sugar syrup that may have splashed up around the sides. This syrup could burn and crystallize, ruining your batch of caramel. Wet it with water and wipe the sides of the pan clean. It’s ok if some water drips down into the cooking candy.
- Wooden Sticks: Sticks make eating caramel apples convenient and fun, while also serving as a useful dipping tool. Some small lollipop and popsicle sticks are simply too short—I recommend sticks anywhere between 5.5 – 7 inches. I like these wooden sticks because they’re sturdy and also double as skewers for meat & veggies.
Caramel Apple Garnishes
The caramel apples are obviously fantastic plain, but it’s fun to play dress up every now and then. Immediately after coating in caramel and before the caramel sets, roll the caramel dipped apples in finely chopped nuts, toffee pieces, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or coconut. You can even drizzle with melted chocolate and top with sprinkles, as shown below.
Used the Starfetti mix from this sprinkle set!
Want to enjoy caramel apples with a fraction of the work? Try apple dessert pizza with caramel cream cheese frosting and drizzle with additional salted caramel on top. SO good!
See Your Homemade Caramel Apples
Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
Homemade Caramel Apples
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-9 caramel apples
- Category: Candy
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make real homemade caramel apples with this from-scratch recipe. For best success, watch the video tutorial, read the post, and review the recipe before beginning.
Ingredients
- 8–9 cold apples
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (240ml) light corn syrup
- 2 cups (400g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep the apples: Rinse the apples with water, then wipe completely dry. Removing the slippery waxy coating will help the caramel seal to the apple. Remove the apple stem and insert a caramel apple stick about 3/4 down into the apple.
- Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (preferred) or grease the pan with butter. Caramel usually sticks to parchment or wax paper.
- Make the caramel: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Do not turn the temperature up or down– keep at medium the entire time the caramel cooks. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted. Once melted, brush down the sides of the pan with a water-moistened pastry brush and attach a candy thermometer to the pan, making sure the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan (as you’ll get an inaccurate reading).
- Without stirring, let the mixture cook and bubble until it reaches 235°F (113°C). Some readers have been cooking to 240°F (116°C) and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F – 240°F. Reaching this temperature should take about 15 – 20 minutes, though don’t use time as your guide because it depends on your stove. Don’t be alarmed if your caramel is taking longer, just use the candy thermometer as your guide. The temperature will heat up slowly, then move quickly, so keep your eye on the pot. Once at 235°F – 240°F, remove caramel from heat and stir in the vanilla. Avoid over-stirring which can create air bubbles in the caramel (and then on the apple). Allow caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. If caramel is too thin to coat apples, let it cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes longer.
- Dip the apples: Holding the caramel apple stick, dip the apple into the warm caramel, tilting the pot as needed to coat all sides of the apple. Lift the apple up and swirl it around or gently tap it against the side of the pot to let excess caramel drip off. Place coated apple on prepared pan. Repeat with remaining apples. Enjoy immediately or allow caramel to set, about 45-60 minutes. If you want to wrap the caramel apples in cellophane treat bags for travel/gifting, wait until the caramel has completely set.
- If desired, you can add toppings. Immediately after coating in caramel and before the caramel sets, roll the caramel dipped apples in finely chopped nuts, toffee pieces, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or coconut. You can even drizzle with melted chocolate or white chocolate, too.
- For displaying or serving, I recommend placing on wax paper or another nonstick surface. Even when the caramel has completely set, caramel apples may slightly stick to a serving dish. To eat a caramel apple, you can bite right into it or sit it upright on a cutting board and cut slices around the stick. (Or pull out the stick and slice.) These are great for sharing!
- Loosely cover and store the leftover dipped apples in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- How to clean a sticky saucepan: It’s not always easy or fun, but I have a helpful solution! When you’re finished making sticky caramel, simply fill the dirty saucepan with water until the water covers all of the candy residue. Place the saucepan on the stove over low heat. Let the warm water simmer and melt the sugar off the sides of the pan. Pour out the warm water, then let the tools sit until cool enough to handle. Rinse clean.
- Special Tools: Heavy Duty 3 Quart Pot, Candy Thermometer (I suggest this one or this one), Wooden Spoon, Pastry Brush, Silicone Baking Mat, Caramel Apple Sticks
- Caramel Candies: Follow step 3 in this recipe. Then without stirring, cook the mixture until it reaches 245°F (118°C). Immediately remove from heat, then stir in the vanilla. Then follow steps 5 and 6 in my soft caramel candies recipe.
- Double Batch: I don’t recommend halving, doubling, or tripling candy recipes, especially this caramel. Increasing or decreasing the quantity may work for baking, but the extra or decreased volume could prevent the candy from cooking properly. Make separate batches instead.
Keywords: apples, caramel
I cooked and cooked this caramel until it smelled awful, but it never reached the desired temperature! It got stuck at 224 and would not get hotter, I’m not sure why this happened. Needless to say I still tried using it and the caramel just slid right off, even after letting it sit for almost an hour before dipping.
★
So disappointed didn’t turn out the caramel taste wonderful , BUT the caramel won’t stick to the apples. I followed the recipe to the letter. I’ve always used the caramel’s you have to unwrap never had this problem.
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How would you make this recipe for “salted” caramel?
Hi Amanda! You can increase the salt in the caramel to 3/4 teaspoon. Taste when it’s all finished, then stir in more until you are happy with the flavor.
Sally, Recipe tasted AMAZING!! However, the caramel just kept slipping off the apple and I ended up with a pool of caramel on the pan… any advice on how to keep it thick and stay on the apple?
Hi Leah, Apples have a waxy coating that will prevent the caramel from sticking, so it’s important to wash and dry it off. Make sure the apples are cold, which helps prevent the caramel from slipping off.
Caramel tasted wonderful but way too thin. Maybe next time I will cook longer but I brought it to 240 and then had to let it sit for 40 min. Still slipped right off the apples.
★★★
I tried to make the caramel but I didnt have a candy thermometer. Now i made a caramel sauce instead of a caramel that i can coat apples with. Is there ANY way to make the caramel harder or is it too late to continue the process?
Thank you for an amazing caramel apple recipe with lots of details. Tried it tonight and turned out way better than I thought . I have always been nervous to try these so can’t believe they actually turned out! For some reason my very last apple I dipped did not keep the caramel on. Might have been the temperature of the caramel cooled down too much.
I drizzled chocolate and topped with toffee bits.
★★★★★
This was easy, just followed the directions and the carmel apples turned out perfectly. I had done 4 apples with wrapped caramels. I hadn’t seen this receipe before. It was much harder and didn’t turn out as well. Thanks
★★★★★
Turned out perfectly….maybe a little too good 😉
★★★★★
The caramel came out not to thick and tasted delicious. My grandson was licking off the caramel and then eating the apple. I have made about 10 of Sally’s recipes and each one didn’t let me down.
★★★★★
I’ve never loved caramel apples, until now! I decided to participate in this challenge and use the apples as a party favour at my son’s birthday party. I only saved one apple for my husband and I, and wish I had saved more! The caramel was soft, creamy and chewy…delicious. I didn’t have a candy thermometer, and used a meat thermometer that only went up to 220. I let the caramel bubble for a short time after it reached 220, and it came out just right. It cooled for ten minutes, next time I would only cool it for five minutes, as it was very thick on the last few apples I made. Overall this recipe was a huge success. Thanks Sally! You made me a believer.
★★★★★
Made this tonight and it turned out well! I ended up double dipping some of the apples after I let them sit a minute or two. Can’t wait to share them with my Bible study gals tomorrow night! Glad I have a new yummy recipe.
★★★★★
What can we do to keep it creamy as a dip? Stored in a refrigerator a dip need not set up.
Hi Jessica, to keep this as a dip you can keep it warm in a slow cooker. See above in the blog post for details!
This caramel recipe is delicious! Unfortunately, my caramel looks grainy despite wiping down the pot sides with a water moistened pastry brush. Does one continuously wipe down the sides of the pot during the process of not stirring the mixture, as the liquid is continuously bubbling up the sides? Any suggestions?
★★★★
Hi Debra, I’m glad you enjoyed it! If your caramel is continuously bubbling up the sides then yes, you can wipe with the pastry brush multiple times! You can also very slightly turn down the heat so that it doesn’t bubble quite so vigorously even though it will take a minute or two longer to reach the proper temperature.
I made the caramel and it came out great. I heated it to 240 as i wanted a thicker caramel. It was as expected and tasted wonderful. It did not stick to the apples no matter what I tried. I washed them, dried them well. The caramel just puddled.
★★★★
Same!! I am so frustrated!
The same thing happened to me just now and came here to read the comments to see if I can trouble shoot but sounds like many of us are having the same problem.
★★★★
This is my first time making caramel from scratch. I’m super tempted to call it a fail because my apples didn’t turn out completely beautiful but this dang caramel is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life! I am so glad I found this recipe so I can start a new Halloween tradition with my kiddos.
★★★★★
Be warned this doubles in size while cooking. Mine nearly boiled over in a 3qt pot, and turning down the heat meant it wouldn’t get up to the needed 235/240. I moved it to a much larger 6qt pot and it worked perfectly (although I had to move it back to the original 3qt one for dipping, it was too shallow in the large one). Any suggestions for not dirtying every pot in the house?
★★★★
Hi Cari, I’m wondering if you did have your heat up just a little too high. Be sure to keep it at medium (even thought it might take a little longer to reach 235). You can see in the video that I’m using a 3 quart pot and it’s not close to boiling over. I’m glad you were able to save yours in the larger pot and that it turned out well in the end!
Super easy to make, but definitely need to go closer to the 240° temp. I didn’t and my caramel kept slowly oooozing down, but we didn’t care because the caramel was AMAZING!
Also cut the caramel apples into slices and scooped NY cheese cake with them. Yeah I was in heaven!
★★★★★
Great recipe! Love the caramel flavor
★★★★★
Would it be okay to use salted butter? Thanks!
Hi Carol, you can use salted butter. No other changes to the recipe needed.
I just decided yesterday that I would give these a try, and so glad I did! Based on your note of some people’s reviews, I let the candy cook to about 138 degrees. Unfortunately, I allowed it to cool a bit too long before dipping, so the caramel was pretty thick by then and a little more difficult to dip, BUT they still look amazing and I can’t wait to dig in. Added some swirls of melted chocolate and chopped toasted pecans! I have never made any of your caramel recipes before, and I have to add my 2 thumbs up! It is delicious!
★★★★★
Your recipe made it so easy for our Caramel Party we had last week! We dipped apples and pretzels using your tips and tricks. Thank you so much for the insightful info!
★★★★★
I made these today with Pixie Crunch apples from my local orchard. I coated some in toffee bits and left the rest plain caramel. They were delicious!!
★★★★★
I was a little unsure about this challenge because I’m not great at candy but they came out beautifully. I checked my candy thermometer before hand and it was reading low so I’m glad I checked and was able to adjust accordingly. The caramel was a perfect consistency and very delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Caramel tastes wonderful! The only drawback was that I had to take mine to 250F for it to set up at all. Might be due to living in a humid climate, not sure, but 240F certainly wasn’t enough for me. So now I have a batch of caramel sauce and a batch of caramel apples!
★★★★