In Good FlavorThese Fall Swirled Candied Apples are perfect for Halloween and fall celebrations. The apples are swirled in fall color candy melts to create a beautiful design. Making them is easy if you follow the simple tricks. I’ll walk you through them step-by-step!
If you like these, you will also like my original Swirled Candied Apples!
Halloween will be here before we know it! And if you need Halloween recipes, these candied apples will impress. They are also a welcome addition to the Thanksgiving dinner table.
While these dessert apples are by no means healthy, there is a balance of excess and health. You have the health benefits of fresh apples to balance the sugar content of the candy melt. It’s a win-win treat, right?
Ingredients you will need:
Good news! You need only three ingredients to make swirled apples.
- Apples
- Candy melts
- Chocolate sprinkles
I used white, orange, and chocolate candy melts. But use the color that pleases you! Feel free to change up the sprinkles. Instead of sprinkles, try mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
Supplies you will need:
Having a few simple tools on hand will help you obtain perfect results. What you will need:
- Wooden skewers
- Cookie sticks
- Microwave bowls for the candy melts
- A piping bag or a plastic food storage bag for piping
- Parchment paper
- Rubber spatulas
- Ribbons for bows
Recipe highlights:
- Wash and thoroughly dry the apples.
- Melt the brown candy melts in the microwave.
- Dip the bottom 1/3 of an apple into the candy melts. Remove.
- Add the chocolate sprinkles. Place the apple on a parchment paper-lined surface, candy-coated side up.
- Continue coating the remaining apples.
- Microwave the white candy melts.
- In a separate bowl, microwave the orange candy melts.
- Pipe the orange candy melts over the white candy melts, creating an asterisk design.
- Insert a wooden skewer into the bottom end of an apple. Holding the skewer, dip the bare end of the apple into the candy melts and twist 180° to create a swirl. Pull the apple straight out.
- For the next 40 seconds, toggle between holding the apple upright and pointing it downward for 10-second intervals each. Set the apple down, swirled-side down.
- Coat and swirl the remaining apples.
- Remove the skewers once the candy melts and hardens. Insert a cookie stick into the swirled end of each apple.
- Tie the ribbon around the stick.
- Refer to the recipe card below for detailed instructions and tips.
How to work with candy melts:
The candy melts should come with melting instructions. Choose the method that appeals to you. The options are typically to microwave or heat them in a double boiler. For smooth and creamy results, I have a couple of tips:
- Avoid overheating. Doing so will cause the candy melt to seize up, making them unworkable.
- Do not allow water to seep into the candy melts. This will also cause them to seize. If you melt them on the stovetop in a bowl over a pan of water, make sure the top of the bowl is wider than the pan. This will prevent steam from entering the bowl and seizing the candy melts.
I prefer the microwave method. It’s much faster than the stovetop method. Microwave the candy melts at short intervals and stir after each session.
How to serve:
It is best to serve these apples sliced. It’s easier on your teeth than to bite directly into a whole apple. Cut it into half or quarters before serving. If you want to slice into smaller wedges, the candy melts might break off or chip easily. So, my solution is to microwave the apple for 3 to 5 seconds to soften the candy melts before slicing. Any longer, and it might melt.
How to store:
You can store the candy apples individually in plastic bags sealed with twist ties or in an airtight container. Keep them refrigerated for freshness. They should keep up to four days.
Pro tips:
- Candy melts can seize if they are overheated or if water is introduced. It’s important to avoid doing both. Make sure the apples are thoroughly dried before dipping them into the candy melt.
- Use a bowl that is appropriate in size to prevent wasting candy melts. The bowl for dipping should ideally have a diameter that is 1.5 to 2 times that of the apples. For medium-sized apples, a 5-inch diameter bowl works best. Additionally, the bowl should be as tall as or taller than the apples. If you don’t have an exact match in size, a similar-sized bowl will also work.
- If you have difficulty inserting the cookie stick into the apple, use the pointed tip of a wooden skewer first to create an opening. The cookie stick should go into the apple more easily.
Recommended supplies:
(Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)
- Bamboo skewers and cookie sticks are needed for this recipe.
- White candy melts—the recipe requires 12 ounces. These come in 12 ounces size.
- Orange candy melts—this is a 12-ounce bag. You will need only 6 ounces.
- Brown candy melt—this is dark cocoa, but use any shade of brown you like. You will use only 8 ounces.
- Parchment paper—this is unbleached and chlorine-free.
- Pastry piping bag—for piping the melted orange candy melts. You can use a plastic food storage bag instead.
- Chocolate sprinkles—for a decorative touch.
- Burlap ribbon is used to give a decorative touch to the candy apples.
- The 5-inch bowl is the best size for dipping and swirling the apples, but it is absolutely necessary. It could also be used to melt the brown and orange candy melts.
- 6-inch bowl—for microwaving the white candy melts in.
- Rubber spatula —for stirring and scraping. This is a set of silicone temperature-resistant spatulas.
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Fall Swirled Candied Apples
Description
These Fall Swirled Candied Apples are perfect for Halloween and fall celebrations. The apples are swirled in fall color candy melts to create a beautiful design. Making them is easy if you follow the simple tricks. I’ll walk you through them step-by-step!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash and thoroughly dry the apples. You do not want to add moisture to the candy melt. Remove the stems from all the apples and set aside.
- Place the brown candy melts into a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir, even if you don’t think it needs it. Microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir. The candy melts should become smoother as you continue to stir. If they are not smooth, microwave again for 15-20 seconds at 50% power.
- Dip the bottom 1/3 of an apple into the candy melts. Lift out. Allow excess to drip into the bowl. Use a spatula (or a butter knife) to swipe off any pooling.
- Coat the candy melts with the chocolate sprinkles. Place the apple, candy-coated side up, onto a parchment paper-lined surface.
- Place the white candy melts in a microwaveable bowl (about the size of a 6-inch soup bowl). Microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir even if you don’t think it needs it. Microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir. The candy melts should become smoother as you continue to stir. If they are not smooth, microwave again for 30 seconds at 50%.
- If you have a 5-inch-wide bowl that is 2 1/2 inches deep, transfer as much of the melted candy melts into it as you can. This is the ideal size for dipping the apples in. If you don’t have one, keep the white candy melt in the original bowl.
- Place the orange candy melts in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute at 50% power. Stir, even if you don’t think it needs it. The candy melts should become smoother as you continue to stir. If they are not smooth, microwave again for 15- 20 seconds at 50% power.
- Transfer the orange candy melts into a pastry piping bag or a plastic storage bag. Twist to close. Cut off the tip to create a 1/4-inch opening. Pipe an asterisk design across the bowl with the white candy melts.
- The brown candy melts and sprinkles should have had time to set on the apples. Securely insert a wooden skewer into this end of each apple.
- Dip the bare end of the apple slowly into the center of the candy melts while simultaneously rotating the apple at 180°. You can do this by holding the skewer or the chocolate-dipped end of the apple. (Note: if the candy melts do not completely surround the bare part of the apple, tip the bowl to coat the bare sections.)
- Next, pull the apple straight up. Gently shake off drips. Using a spatula or a butter knife, carefully wipe off excess candy melts without removing the swirls.
- For the next 40 seconds, toggle between holding the apple upright and pointing it downward for 10-second intervals each. This allows the candy melts to start to set without pooling in any particular spot. Place the apple swirled-side down on a parchment paper-lined surface.
- Before dipping the next apple, reapply the orange asterisk. Then, continue swirling the remaining apples, reapplying the orange asterisk after each.
- Once the candy melts have hardened, remove the wooden skewer from each apple. Insert a cookie stick into the swirled end of each apple. If it does not go through, use the pointed tip of a wooden skewer to dig through, then reinsert the cookie stick.
- Tie a bow around each cookie stick.
- To serve, slice the apple into quarters. If you want smaller wedges, microwave the quarters for 3-5 seconds to slightly soften the candy melts before cutting. If you attempt to cut the apple into smaller wedges, the candy melts will chip easily. Softening it first prevents chipping.
- Makes 6 apples.
Notes
- It’s best to use a bowl that is about the height of the apple and at least twice as wide. The extra space is critical to the formation of the swirls.
- The amount of candy melts needed will increase if you use large apples and/or larger bowls. Larger bowls will create more waste. Stick to the recommended bowl size to avoid waste.
- The cooking time and number of intervals are based on an 1100W microwave oven. Adjust your cooking time based on the wattage of your microwave—stronger wattages require less time, and weaker wattages need more time.
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