The question I’m asked the most about making candy apples is about how to Prevent Bubbles on Candy Apples. Bubbles are such a frustrating thing when you’re trying to get perfectly smooth, beautiful apples! So today, I’m s sharing my best tips to prevent bubbles on candy apples!
For years, I told readers what I thought might work or what I’d heard others say, but I honestly had never mastered bubble-free Candy Apples myself. Until now.
After months of testing several theories and trying some of the more popular ones, I’m now confident that I know how to prevent bubbles on candy apples.
Just in case you’re one of the lucky ones who has no idea what I’m talking about, let me show you some candy apples with ugly bubbles:
Are these awful looking or what? Years ago I was making them for a shimmery apple tutorial and almost all of them were covered in bubbles. I couldn’t even use them for my tutorial and these are not the worse I’ve ever made!
My biggest problem was I had no idea what was causing the bubbles. I’d actually make two to three times more apples than I needed for an order and hope I ended up with enough pretty ones to sell.
It was frustrating, to say the least.
Tips to prevent bubbles on candy apples.
- First, buy organic apples if you can. This is not necessary, but it will help you a long a bit. The apples you see pictured in this post were not organic, so it’s clearly not a deal breaker. Let me explain.
From what I can tell, the wax coating on apples is the biggest culprit for causing all the ugly bubbles. So if you buy organic, you don’t have the wax to battle. Having said that, I’d still encourage you to do the rest of these steps even if you do buy organic.
- Second, plan ahead. Preventing bubbles on candy apples involves dipping them in very hot (even boiling) water to clean the wax off.
This can lead to a predicament though. While boiling water cleans the apples, water is another culprit that causes bubbles, So after dipping in water, you’ll need plenty of time to let the apples dry. You’ll want them to be very, very dry before dipping in candy.
Note: I have dipped apples within a short time of cleaning them and had decent results, but some of my apples still had small bubbles. The moral of the story? If you must clean them and dip them right away, make sure you DRY, DRY, DRY THEM.
Some readers have also suggested cleaning with a fruit cleaner (this Trader Joe’s Fruit & Vegetable Wash was specifically recommended) is an alternative to dipping in hot water. I have yet to try this but I’d love for you to leave a comment if you do!
Now if you’re ready to get busy… here are the steps to prevent bubbles on candy apples.
How to make bubble-free candy apples.
Here’s what you’ll need: a large pot, baking soda, a large slotted spoon, and a clean towel.
- First, you’ll need to bring a large pot of water to steaming hot. I really don’t recommend a full-on boil, but you’ll want the water very, very hot. If I let my water begin to boil, I turn it back down and let it cool a bit before dipping.
- Next, add 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda to your hot water and stir to dissolve. I didn’t really measure with a proper measuring spoon, but I don’t think the specific amount is crucial. I honestly don’t know what the baking soda does but I have my prettiest apples when I add it, so it works.
- Prep your apples by pulling any stems and stickers off of your apples.
- Gently drop them into the steaming hot water, or lower them one at a time with a large slotted spoon.
- Let them sit in the water for 1 minute. Turn them with a spoon to make sure all sides are exposed to the hot water. This melts off any wax residue and cleans the apples.
- Dip them out carefully with a large slotted spoon and place them on a clean towel to dry.
- If you’re going to be dipping your apples in candy within a couple of hours, you’ll want to use clean paper towels (I recommend Viva paper towels) to thoroughly dry them. Pay special attention to the top and bottom of the apple – getting any droplets of water from around the stem and stamen. Even if you allow your apples to dry for a couple of hours, I still recommend drying out the top and bottom.
- Once the apples are dried, continue on to the dipping steps listed in my recipe here (or in your recipe).
Note – your apples will be discolored from the steaming water! The hotter the water, the browner the apples will turn because the water is literally cooking them. But this is NOT a problem. The skin of the apple also turns brown when dipped in the hot candy, so once coated, no one will notice!!
Just make sure you completely cover the skin with candy from bottom to top and no brown skin will show.
Now that you’re ready for bubble-free candy apples… do you have a candy apple recipe? If not, check out my posts linked up below. Click on the links OR photos!
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