These Poison Toffee Apples are a spooky twist on the classic toffee apple, with crisp Granny Smith apples coated in glossy jet-black toffee. Add a fork instead of a traditional stick and they look like something straight out of a fairytale in the best possible way.

I’m going to say it: are toffee apples the most delicious or practical way to eat an apple? Absolutely not 😂. But that’s really not the point.

They’re nostalgic, ridiculously fun to make and there’s something VERY satisfying about transforming a regular green apple into a shiny black poison apple. They make such a fun addition to a Halloween party table and, despite looking pretty impressive, they’re actually surprisingly simple to make.

And my favourite little trick? Use forks instead of lollipop sticks. Not only are they much easier to get your hands on (I couldn’t find lollipop sticks in any of the supermarkets near me!), but I think the silver forks sticking out of the glossy sparkly black apples make them look even more like something from a witch’s kitchen.

Why you’ll love these Poison Toffee Apples

They look seriously spooky That glossy black coating makes a regular toffee apple instantly Halloween-worthy.
They’re wonderfully nostalgic. Toffee apples just feel like childhood fairs, carnivals and Halloween all rolled into one.
You only need a handful of ingredients. The magic is really in getting the toffee to the right temperature.
You don’t need to hunt down lollipop sticks. Regular forks work brilliantly and, dare I say it, look even better.
You can change the colour. I LOVE the dramatic black, but bright blood-red toffee would look incredibly cute too.

What apples should I use?

I use Granny Smith apples because I love the bright green peeking through at the top of the black toffee. Their tart flavour also helps balance out the very sweet coating.

But there are absolutely no rules here. You can use whatever apples you like – just try to choose relatively small, firm apples without lots of bruises or blemishes.

Smaller apples are also a little easier to coat and, considering you’re about to cover an entire apple in hard toffee, a more manageable size to eat!

The most important step: wash your apples in hot water

Before you do anything else, wash your apples in hot water and give them a really good rub.

Most supermarket apples have a waxy coating on their skin. If you leave this on, your toffee can struggle to stick properly and may slide straight off the apple.

I like to dip the apples in very hot water briefly, then rub them thoroughly with a paper towel to remove as much of that waxy coating as possible.

Make sure the apples are then completely dry before dipping them into your toffee. Water and hot sugar are not friends!

How to get REALLY black toffee

You need more black food colouring than you think!

I recommend using a black gel food colouring rather than liquid food colouring. Gel is much more concentrated, so you can achieve that deep, inky black without adding loads of extra liquid to the sugar syrup.

Don’t panic if it initially looks grey, purple or generally not-black-enough. Keep adding a little more gel until you get that really deep black colour.

Remember that the coating will be relatively thin once it’s on the apple, so you want the syrup in the saucepan to look VERY dark.

You could also swap the black for red food colouring to make glossy blood-red poison apples. I think these would look so cute!

My little hack: use forks instead of sticks

Traditionally, toffee apples are made with wooden sticks or lollipop sticks. I went looking for some but couldn’t find them in any of the supermarkets near me, so I used forks instead.

And now I actually prefer them!

Push a regular dinner fork firmly into the top of each apple and you’ve instantly got a handle for dipping. They’re sturdy, you probably already have them in your kitchen, and there’s something about the silver fork sticking out of a jet-black apple that makes the whole thing look even more like a poison apple.

Just make sure the fork is pushed securely into the apple before you start dipping – you don’t want an apple falling off into a saucepan of extremely hot sugar syrup.

Getting the toffee to hard crack stage

This is the part of the recipe that really matters.

The toffee needs to reach 150°C, or hard crack stage. If you take it off the heat too early, the coating can remain soft and sticky rather than setting into that beautiful, hard, glass-like shell.

A sugar or digital thermometer is definitely the easiest and most reliable way to check it. Once the syrup reaches 150°C, remove it from the heat and work relatively quickly to coat your apples.

How to test toffee without a thermometer

No thermometer? You can use the cold water test.

Have a small bowl or glass of very cold water beside you. Once you think your toffee is getting close, carefully drop a tiny amount of the toffee into the cold water.

At hard crack stage, the toffee should immediately set into hard, brittle strands. When you take it out of the water, it should snap cleanly rather than bend or squish.

If it’s still soft, chewy or pliable, it needs to cook for longer.

Be VERY careful when testing or dipping your apples. Sugar syrup at this temperature is extremely hot and can cause serious burns, so this is definitely a grown-ups-only part of the recipe.

Glucose vs golden syrup

I use glucose syrup in my toffee, which helps prevent the sugar from crystallising and gives you that beautifully smooth, glossy coating.

If you don’t have glucose, golden syrup can also be used instead. It may give the finished toffee a slightly warmer flavour and colour underneath the black food colouring, but it will still work beautifully.

My top tips for perfect Poison Toffee Apples

Remove the wax from your apples. Give them a quick dip/wash in hot water and rub them thoroughly before starting.
Dry them really well. Any moisture left on the skin can stop the toffee from sticking properly.
Use black gel food colouring. You’ll get a much deeper colour without adding too much liquid.
Use more colouring than you think. You want the syrup to be intensely black in the saucepan so it still looks black once spread thinly over the apple.
Take the toffee all the way to 150°C. This is what gives you that crisp, hard coating rather than a sticky or chewy one.
Have everything ready before you start. Once your toffee reaches temperature, you need to work fairly quickly.
Tilt the saucepan when dipping. This creates a deeper pool of toffee and makes it much easier to completely coat each apple.
Let the excess drip off. Give the apple a gentle turn over the saucepan before placing it down to set so you don’t end up with a huge puddle around the bottom.

Are toffee apples actually nice to eat?

Okay, controversial opinion: toffee apples are more of a novelty than a genuinely excellent eating experience.

There’s no elegant way to bite through a rock-hard sugar shell into an entire apple. You’re probably going to get sticky. Bits of toffee may go flying. Your jaw may get a workout.

But that’s also kind of why I love them.

They’re one of those treats that instantly makes me feel nostalgic, and I think Halloween is exactly the time for making food simply because it’s FUN.

So no, I’m probably not choosing a toffee apple over a slice of chocolate cake. But would I make a tray of glossy black poison apples for a Halloween party purely because they look ridiculously cool?

Absolutely.

FAQs:

The most likely culprit is the wax coating on the apple. Wash the apples in hot water, rub them really well and make sure they’re completely dry before dipping. Any moisture on the apples can also cause problems.

It probably didn’t get hot enough. The syrup needs to reach approximately 150°C (hard crack stage). Below this, it can stay sticky or chewy.

Yes. Use the cold water test described above. Drop a tiny amount of syrup into very cold water. Once it immediately becomes hard and brittle and snaps rather than bends, you’ve reached hard crack stage.

Yes! I use glucose, but golden syrup is a great substitute.

Not at all. Granny Smiths are my favourite because their tartness contrasts nicely with the sweet toffee and the little bit of green showing through looks great against the black coating. Any firm apple will work.

They’re best made as close to serving as possible. Humidity is the enemy of hard sugar coatings, and over time the toffee can start absorbing moisture and become sticky. Store them somewhere cool and dry rather than in a humid environment.

Storage:

Toffee apples are best enjoyed the day they’re made, while the coating is beautifully crisp and crunchy. Store them uncovered in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Avoid the fridge, as the moisture can cause the toffee to become sticky and start to soften.

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Halloween Poison Toffee Apples 🍏

Glossy black Poison Toffee Apples are the ultimate nostalgic Halloween treat! Crisp apples are dipped in jet-black hard-crack toffee for an easy, spooky Halloween recipe that looks seriously impressive.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Course Baking, Dessert

Servings 8

Ingredients

Black Toffee

600 g sugar
100 g glucose
1 tsp vinger or lemon juice
100 g water
black food gel

To assemble

8 Granny Smith apples
edible glitter to decorate optional

Instructions

Prepare the apples

Start by preparing the apples. Place all the apples in large bowl and cover with boiling water. (you can do this in batches if you need too). After about 15 seconds, drain the water and thoroughly dry the apples with a paper towel or clean tea towel. This step helps to remove the waxy layer on the outside of the apples so the toffee will stick well.
Firmly press a fork into each apple. Line a metal tray with baking paper ready to place the toffee apples on once coated.

Make the black toffee

Add all the ingredients for the black toffee to a small heavy bottomed pan and stir lightly. A smaller pot works best for dunking the apples. You will need quite a few drops of food colouring the make the black really pop.
Heat over a low to medium heat until the toffee reaches 150℃. This will take about 15 minutes. If you don't have a candy thermometer check the notes above to see how to test the toffee.
Once the toffee reaches temperature, remove then pot from the heat and begin dunking the apples. BE VERY CAREFUL AS THE TOFFEE IS EXTREMELY HOT AND DANGEROUS!
Tilt the pot slightly and dip one apple at a time into the hot toffee. Slowly rotate the apple until it is completely coated. You can use a spoon to help cover any missed spots if needed.
Lift the apple out and allow the excess toffee to drip back into the pot for a few seconds. Place onto the prepared baking paper and leave to cool completely until the toffee is hard and crisp.
Spray each toffee apple with a little edible glitter for an extra halloween touch.

Notes

For a really deep black colour, don’t be shy with the food colouring! You’ll need quite a few drops of black food gel to achieve that dramatic, glossy black. Gel colouring works best as you can add plenty without adding too much extra liquid.
Be extremely careful when working with the hot toffee. It reaches 150°C and can cause serious burns. Take extra care when dipping the apples and keep children well away from the hot mixture.
Toffee apples are best eaten on the day they’re made, when that toffee coating is at its crispest. For an extra cute party touch, you can wrap each cooled apple individually in cellophane.
Cleaning up is easier than you think! If your saucepan, spoon or other utensils are covered in hardened toffee, don’t try to scrub it off. Fill the saucepan with hot water, add the utensils and gently simmer until the toffee dissolves.
You can use any apples you like. I used Granny Smith apples because I love their tartness against the sweet toffee, but any firm, crisp apple will work.
Forks or popsicle sticks: I used forks for this recipe because they’re easy, sturdy and give the apples a fun poison-apple look, but you can absolutely use popsicle or lollipop sticks instead if you prefer.
You can change the colour. I LOVE the dramatic black, but bright blood-red toffee would look incredibly cute too.