Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (2024)

Jump to Recipe

These Poison Apples are a fun and spooky way to dress up apples for Halloween - and they taste amazing!

Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (1)

A poison apple is a caramel apple dressed up for Halloween. They can even be included on a list of fun and cheap Halloween candy ideas! A candy apple looks amazing, and these, as they are dark, beautiful and kind of scary at the same time. But that's what this celebration is all about!

Jump to:
  • 🎃 Is there Halloween in Brazil?
  • 📋 Ingredients for Halloween apples
  • 🍳 How to make candy apples
  • 🍏 What is the best apple for poison apples
  • ⌛ Can I make ahead?
  • 🧺 How to store them
  • 🌡️ How to make it without a candy thermometer
  • 🍎 Variations
  • 🧽 How to clean up caramel
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

🎃 Is there Halloween in Brazil?

Halloween has been slowly "imported" to Brazil over the last years. It is not a Holiday we celebrate as part of Brazilian culture. But over the last couple of years we've seen a steep increase in parties and all things related to it.

As we both have lived in the USA, we like to celebrate Halloween, and decorate our house. So this is why we decided to make these poison apples that turned out to be a huge success in our blog in Portuguese.

📋 Ingredients for Halloween apples

To make these homemade caramel apples, you will need:

  • apples
  • twigs or skewers
  • sugar
  • corn syrup
  • gel food coloring
  • water
  • waxed paper

🍳 How to make candy apples

Making candy apples is not difficult. You will see by following this candy apple recipe that it is pretty straighforward.

The hardest part is to let the caramel get to the right temperature and have the right amount of caramel on the apples. Too much will accumulate at the bottom and too little will not look good.

Step by step instructions on how to make caramel apples:

  1. Wash apples under hot water using a cloth. Dry thourougly.
  2. Remove the stems and insert wooden skewers (or twigs) into the center of each apple.
  3. In a sauce pan add sugar, corn syrup, water and blue food coloring.
  4. Mix ingredients well, until sugar is dissolved. Secure candy thermometer to pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  5. Do not stir past this point.
  6. Meanwhile place the parchment paper on a baking sheet and grease it with a little bit of vegetable oil.
  7. After 15 to 20 minutes the caramel will be ready. The temperature must reach 300 degrees (hard crack). If you do not have a candy thermometer, drizzle some of it from a fork - if it hardens when falling, forming strands, it's done (see note 1 in recipe).
Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (2)
  1. Turn the heat off and dip the apples, one by one, in the caramel, tilting the pan and turning the apples so they get an even coating.
  2. Let excess caramel drip off, hold the apples upside down for some seconds (to avoid excess caramel on the bottom). Do this carefully as the caramel will be super hot.
  3. Place the apples on the prepared paper to cool.
  4. If the coating is too thin, dip apples once more and let cool again.
  5. See notes in recipe for darker apples, if the caramel hardens, and what to do with leftover caramel
Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (3)

🍏 What is the best apple for poison apples

The best apples to make these colored candy apples, or poison apples, are Granny Smith apples. They have a beautiful and mostly uniform color and their tartness go extremely well with the sweetness of the hard caramel.

Of course you could use any other apple as well but try to use apples that are firmer and not so sweet. I've also used Fuji and Gala apples, but the best, by far, are Granny Smith.

And they should be fresh too! Old apples will be mealy (not good to eat) or even if you just want them for the looks, the twigs may fall off when coating them, as they will have a soft interior.

⌛ Can I make ahead?

You could make them ahead, but as long as you can store them in an airtight container, or thoroughly wrapped in cellophane paper.

What happens if I don't? Moisture from the apples and the air will start to make the caramel runny.

I would not make them more than 2 days ahead because they are better fresh - the apples will taste better and the caramel will be harder.

Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (4)

🧺 How to store them

As I've said, you can store the apples in a large airtight container. The apples should not touch each other. If necessary, place a piece of waxed paper between them.

Or you can wrap them in cellophane paper in a way it gets to be airtight. This will help to keep their freshness.

🌡️ How to make it without a candy thermometer

There are two ways you can check the caramel without a thermometer:

  1. drizzle the candy with a fork - if it makes hard strands it is done or
  2. have a bowl of cold water by the stove and dip a metal spoon in the boiling sugar and then right away in the water. If it hardens (sometimes it will even crack), it is not sticky and can't be removed from spoon, it's ready.

🍎 Variations

The ways you can change these poison apples is to make them in different colors, or shades. Start with a lighter color (less food coloring) and then add more of it (or a darker color).

Start with a deep blue and then add some black food coloring to the caramel - watch as it will bubble a lot!

You will have a great looking blue candy apple and and then some darker ones, making a cute Halloween candy 🙂

Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (5)

Or make two different colors and dip one side of the apple in one color and the other in another color (or coat the whole apple with one color and then just half of it with another color).

If you want to make a Snow White poison apple, you can use green food coloring or make a classic Snow White apple by using red food coloring.

🧽 How to clean up caramel

When you're done making your Halloween candy apples, you'll have the most amazing candy apples, plus a pot and candy thermometer with a hard dark sugar coating.

The best, and quickest, way to clean it up is to fill the pot with water, put the candy thermometer and any other object you have used (spoon or fork) in it and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 10 minutes and the caramel will dissolve.

Throw away water and proceed to wash everything as you would normally do.

Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (6)

📖 Recipe

Poison Apples

A fun and spooky way to dress up apples for Halloween!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword candy apple, Halloween, poison apple

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 536kcal

Equipment

  • Candy thermometer

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp blue gel food coloring
  • 1/4 tsp black gel food coloring
  • 6 large apples or 10 medium/small
  • 6 wooden skewers or twigs or same number of apples
  • waxed papper
  • vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Wash apples under hot water using a cloth. Dry thourougly.

  • Remove the stems and insert wooden skewers (or twigs) into the center of each apple.

  • In a sauce pan add sugar, corn syrup, water and blue food coloring.

  • Mix ingredients well, until sugar is dissolved. Secure candy thermometer to pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

  • Do not stir past this point.

  • Meanwhile place the parchment paper on a baking sheet and grease it with a little bit of vegetable oil.

  • After 15 to 20 minutes the caramel will be ready. The temperature must reach 300 degrees (hard crack). If you do not have a candy thermometer, drizzle some of it from a fork - if it hardens when falling, forming strands, it's done (see note 1 bellow).

  • Turn the heat off and dip the apples, one by one, in the caramel, tilting the pan and turning the apples so they get an even coating.

  • Let excess caramel drip off, hold the apples upside down for some seconds (to avoid excess caramel on the bottom). Do this carefully as the caramel will be super hot.

  • Place the apples on the prepared paper to cool.

  • If the coating is too thin, dip apples once more and let cool again.

  • See notes for darker apples, if the caramel hardens, and what to do with leftover caramel

Video

Notes

Note 1: How to tell if the caramel has come to the hard crack stage: drizzle some of it from a fork - if it hardens when falling, forming strands, it's done, or have a bowl with iced water by the stove. Dip a metal spoon in the caramel and right away in the iced water. If caramel hardens (sometimes it will even crack), it's not sticky and can't be removed from spoon, it's ready.

Note 2: If you want darker apples, you can add some black food coloring. If you do this after the caramel is done, be careful as it will boil a lot.

Note 3: If the caramel hardens before you have finished coating the apples, turn on the heat for a while, until it has become liquid again.

Note 4: Leftover caramel can be poured over slightly greased parchment or waxed paper and after cooled, it can be broken into pieces, like glass.

Nutrition

Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 107g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

If you make this recipe, please let us now by tagging @travelcooktell on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Halloween Recipe: Poison Apples - Travel Cook Tell (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of the Halloween apple? ›

Katherine Barber, “Canada's word lady,” has described Halloween apples as a “prairie custom,” and included it in her Canadian Oxford Dictionary as a prairie interjection, “uttered by children door to door on Halloween to collect candies etc.”

What fruit is associated with Halloween? ›

Apples are also a food we often associate with Halloween, and like the pumpkin, this could partially stem from the seasonality of the fruit, which peaks at this time of year. But the significance of apples is also deep-rooted in mythology and folklore.

Why do we have toffee apples at Halloween? ›

These are a common treat at fall festivals in Western culture in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night because these festivals occur in the wake of annual apple harvests. Although candy apples and caramel apples may seem similar, they are made using distinctly different processes.

What do caramel apples represent? ›

The Role of Caramel Apples in Celebrations

Caramel apples have become a symbol of celebrations, adding a sweet touch to various cultural festivities. Their versatility makes them a go-to treat for parties, holidays, and special occasions.

Is it OK for Christians to celebrate Halloween? ›

For a Christian, there is no pressure to participate in this holiday. If your discernment leads you to abstain from participating or focus on the harvest festival activities associated with Halloween, wonderful.

Why do kids say Halloween apples? ›

At that time the young revelers would prey mostly on businesses, demanding treats while threatening tricks. Apples were a popular reward, hence the saying “Halloween apples” rather than “trick or treat”. However, other fruits, candies, popcorn, and nuts were all appreciated as well.

What is traditionally eaten on Halloween? ›

Traditionally Halloween food is based on all that leftover pumpkin flesh. There are many delicious pumpkin recipes in the world, and indeed we have a rather good pumpkin pie recipe on Daily Info.

What fruit is a luck symbol? ›

The 9 lucky fruits are cavendish banana, red apple, Asian pear, Mandarin orange, red grape, pomegranate, lychee, pineapple, and dragon fruit. All the fruits are put in the basket and around the basket. Thus, it is well worth decorating your house or any place with this auspicious picture.

What fruit is sacred? ›

Before its medicinal properties were described the pomegranate was held sacred by many of the world's major religions. In the Greek myth of Persephone's abduction by Hades, lord of the underworld, the pomegranate represents life, regeneration, and marriage.

What is the most eaten candy on Halloween? ›

Is your go-to candy on the list? "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut M&M's, and classic M&M's reaffirm their status as Halloween favorites among Americans coast to coast," Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart's trends expert, told FOX Business.

Which vegetable is associated with Halloween? ›

Pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) are New World vegetables, so they are true symbols of American Halloween.

Who says Halloween apples? ›

U.S. and Canada

In some parts of Canada, children sometimes say "Halloween apples" instead of "trick or treat". This probably originated when the toffee apple was a popular type of candy.

What's the difference between butterscotch and toffee? ›

Toffee vs Butterscotch

While butterscotch is cooked to a soft-crack stage, toffee is produced by allowing that same butter and brown sugar mixture to reach the hard-crack stage. Butterscotch tends to be chewy and pliable; toffee is brittle and more breakable.

What are the apples of love? ›

The apple of love is first a confectionery made of a freshly picked apple, coated with a red caramelized sugar and fixed at the end of a stick. But the apple is also the fruit symbolizing love and it is not only due to its color: red love and passion!

Are taffy apples and caramel apples the same thing? ›

Taffy apples – Caramel apples are often called “taffy apples” when additional ingredients such as peanuts are applied. Chocolate apples – These include both caramel apples dipped in chocolate and chocolate-coated apples (with no caramel).

What is the spiritual meaning of the apple? ›

Posted on October 05 2020. In ancient mythology, the Apple is one of the most sacred trees and symbolises good health and future happiness. Since ancient times it has also been known as the 'Tree of Love' and is associated with Aphrodites, goddess of love.

What does the sliced apple symbolize? ›

It is a complex symbol, with a variety of meanings and incorporated in a variety of contexts. It can mean love, knowledge, wisdom, joy, death, and/or luxury. The apple could be an erotic association with a woman's BREASTS, with the core sliced in half representing the vulva.

What does a rotting apple symbolize? ›

Bad apple (or rotten apple) is indeed defined as “someone who creates problems or causes trouble for others; specifically : a member of a group whose behavior reflects poorly on or negatively affects or influences the remainder of the group.” Versions of the proverb can be found as far back as the early 16th century.

What does an eaten apple symbolize? ›

Here, Eve eats the the forbidden fruit from the “Tree of Knowledge,” which is often depicted as an apple tree. The apple, therefore, is the fruit of knowledge, making it a fitting gift for a teacher. The biblical story also gave rise to its associations with immortality, temptation, the fall of man and sin.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Carmelo Roob

Last Updated:

Views: 5700

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Carmelo Roob

Birthday: 1995-01-09

Address: Apt. 915 481 Sipes Cliff, New Gonzalobury, CO 80176

Phone: +6773780339780

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Gaming, Jogging, Rugby, Video gaming, Handball, Ice skating, Web surfing

Introduction: My name is Carmelo Roob, I am a modern, handsome, delightful, comfortable, attractive, vast, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.