Spiderweb Halloween Caramel Apples are a classic fall treat, with chocolatey, sweet little spiders. They are easy to make using store-bought caramels and the perfect Halloween candy apples for a spooky party.
Halloween caramel apples look like they came from a fancy candy shop, but these start with store-bought soft caramels. You skip the candy thermometer and the sticky mess of homemade caramel, and you still get that chewy, buttery coating on a tart Granny Smith apple.
The spiderweb is what makes them Halloween. A few lines of piped chocolate and a candy spider turn a classic fall treat into a showpiece for your party table, and the steps are simple enough that kids can help with the dipping and decorating.
If you'd rather serve caramel on the side, dip apple slices in my Spiced Caramel Sauce. For a full spooky spread, pair these with chocolate skeleton cookies and easy pumpkin milkshakes, or browse all my Halloween recipes.
You can make it a whole spider theme with my friend Melissa's Oreo Spider Halloween Snacks! She blogs at Bless This Mess and we're sharing our favorite Halloween recipes with each other. Check her site to add to your holiday arsenal!
What you should know first
Store-bought soft caramels and chocolate candy melts make these Halloween caramel apples reliable, and two short chills in the fridge set each layer so the piped spiderweb stays crisp. I'll show you how to pipe the web with a #2 plain tip, keep sprinkles from sliding off, and rescue caramel that thickens as the pan cools.
⏱ Active Time: 1 hour 20 minutes / Total: 2 hours 20 minutes (includes chilling). 🍽 Serves: 16 (8 apples). 🧾 Ingredients: 6. 📊 Difficulty: Easy. 🥛 Dietary: Vegetarian.
- Wash and dry the apples first: the waxy coating on store-bought apples is the most common reason caramel slides off.
- Chill the caramel-coated apples for about 20 minutes before dipping the base in chocolate.
- Trim the caramel that pools at the base with kitchen shears so the chocolate and sprinkles sit flat.
- Pipe the spiderweb with a #2 plain tip: 7 or 8 lines from the top to the base, then curved lines between them.
- Halloween caramel apples can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept chilled until serving.
Generated with AI and experts from the Tara Teaspoon team.
Why you'll love these Halloween caramel apples
- A store-bought shortcut. Soft caramels melt smooth with no candy thermometer and no homemade caramel to babysit.
- Kid-friendly decorating. Kids can roll the bases in sprinkles and press on the candy spiders.
- Candy-shop looks. The piped web and chocolate spider look professional with just a piping bag and a #2 tip.
- Sweet and tart in every bite. Tart Granny Smith apples balance the chewy caramel and chocolate.
- Made for sharing. Each big apple serves 2, so one batch feeds 16.
Jump to:
- What you should know first
- Why you'll love these Halloween caramel apples
- Ingredients for Halloween candy apples
- Equipment
- How to make Halloween spiderweb caramel apples
- Tara's tips to make Halloween caramel apples
- Tips for piping the spiderweb design
- Storage and make-ahead
- FAQs
- More Halloween recipes to try
- 📖 Full Recipe
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
Ok . . . these are the coolest! Thanks for the fabulous idea.
- Jill
Ingredients for Halloween candy apples
Use simple ingredients and some wooden dowels to make these cute apple treats. See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
- Granny Smith apples: Choose the biggest, firmest ones you can find. Their tartness balances the sweet caramel, and any firm, tart apple works if Granny Smith isn't available.
- Soft caramels: I use store-bought caramels, melted with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Chocolate candy melts: 1½ cups for dipping the base and piping the web. Candy melts set firm without tempering.
- Chocolate sprinkles: for coating the chocolate base.
- Chocolate candies (M&Ms): for the spider bodies.
- Caramel apple dowels or twigs: Use sturdy, dry twigs washed well, or dowels made for caramel apples.
Equipment
- A small baking sheet that fits in your fridge, lined with parchment and sprayed with cooking spray
- A large saucepan for melting the caramels
- Kitchen shears for trimming excess caramel
- A piping bag fitted with a #2 plain tip, from this writing tip set
- A drinking glass, turned upside down, to hold each apple while you pipe
How to make Halloween spiderweb caramel apples
Get all of your ingredients ready and placed into bowls. This caramel apple process moves quickly once the apples are dipped and chilled. See recipe card for comprehensive directions.
- First, line a baking sheet that fits into the fridge, with parchment paper.
- Insert a twig or dowel into the apple for the handle.
- Melt caramel squares with water in a saucepan and coat the apples in caramel. Place the apples onto the parchment paper.
- Chill and trim: Chill the apples for 20 minutes, then trim any excess caramel from the base with kitchen shears.
- Dip in chocolate: Dip the bottom of the apples in melted chocolate and sprinkles. Place back onto the parchment and chill again until the chocolate candy melts have set.
- Pipe the web: Decorate the apples as desired with the spiderweb pattern.
- Add the spiders: Add a candy spider using a chocolate candy and piped legs if desired. Chill apples until ready to serve.
How do you keep caramel from sliding off apples? Wash and dry the apples well before dipping. Store-bought apples have a waxy coating, and caramel can't grip wax or moisture. After dipping, chill the apples on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes so the caramel sets in place.
Prepare ahead
It's always good to prepare ahead and have the sprinkles in a bowl ready and waiting. This is also a fun process for kids or friends to help with, and always nice to have an extra set of hands!
Tara's tips to make Halloween caramel apples
- Wash the wax off first. Store-bought apples have a waxy coating that keeps caramel from sticking, so wash and dry them well.
- Trim the caramel puddle. Cut off the caramel that pools at the base so the chocolate and sprinkles sit on a smooth, round bottom, and save the scraps for snacking.
- Rewarm thick caramel. If cold apples make the caramel thicken, reheat the pan to loosen it and spoon caramel over the last few apples.
- Prop the pan for the last apples. Tilt the saucepan on a wooden spoon so the caramel pools deep enough to dip.
- Dip only 1 inch into the chocolate. Leave room above the chocolate base for the piped spiderweb.
- Sprinkle right away. Work one apple at a time and add sprinkles the moment you dip, because the cold apple sets the chocolate fast.
Tips for piping the spiderweb design
Once your Halloween candy apple has been coated in chocolate, you are ready to pipe the spiderweb. I like to invert a glass to use as a stand so the apples are closer to me for piping.
Place the rest of the melted chocolate candy melts into a piping bag fitted with a small circular tip. I like #2 plain tip. It's part of this writing tip set.
Pipe 7 or 8 vertical lines down the sides of each apple from the top, to the chocolate sprinkle base.
Pipe curved lines in between the straight lines to form a web. These spiderweb caramel apples are almost complete!
I like to pipe 8 little legs on each apple and then adhere a chocolate M&M for the spider body.
If your chocolate cools in the piping bag, wrap a hot, damp towel around it to heat it up again. You can also remove the tip and toss it in the microwave for a minute, but I find the hot towel gently and evenly reheats the chocolate.
Leave them as is of course, and decorate the table with plastic spiders, but you'll miss out on the creepy chocolate crawlers!
Storage and make-ahead
Make ahead: Dip and decorate the apples up to 24 hours before serving, and keep them chilled on the parchment-lined baking sheet until party time.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover caramel apples, loosely covered, for up to 2 days. Fridge humidity can soften the caramel and make it droop, so check them before serving.
Serving leftovers: Slice leftover apples into wedges right before serving so the cut fruit doesn't brown.
FAQs
Yes, chill them twice. Refrigerate the caramel-coated apples for about 20 minutes, until set, before trimming the base and dipping it in chocolate. Then chill again for about 15 minutes so the chocolate sets before you pipe the spiderweb.
Soft caramels are meant to stay chewy, so they firm up in the fridge but never turn hard like a candy apple shell. If the caramel stays runny, it was likely too warm or thinned with too much water. Use just 2 tablespoons of water for 75 caramels, and chill the coated apples for 20 minutes to set.
Soft, chewy caramel squares are the easiest choice. This recipe uses 75 unwrapped Kraft caramels melted with 2 tablespoons of water, which coats 8 large apples without a candy thermometer.
No. A candy apple is dipped in a hard, glassy sugar syrup, usually tinted red. A caramel apple is coated in soft, chewy caramel. These spiderweb apples are caramel apples with a chocolate base and a piped chocolate web.
Set each apple in a clear cellophane treat bag, gather the bag around the stick, and tie it with ribbon. Keep the bagged apples chilled until you hand them out.
More Halloween recipes to try
- 35 Halloween Dessert Ideas
- Polka Dot Halloween Cupcakes
- 25 Halloween Cakes and Cupcakes
- No Bake Cookies For Halloween
- Halloween Chocolate Lollipops
- Monster Halloween Cookies
Loved it? Let me know! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tap here to leave a review with your stars, comments and questions. It helps other cooks, and I read and answer every one.
📖 Full Recipe
Halloween Spiderweb Caramel Apples
Ingredients
- 8 Granny Smith Apples
- 8 caramel apple dowels or twigs
- 75 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
- 1½ cups (9 ounces) chocolate candy melts
- Chocolate Sprinkles
- Chocolate candies (M&Ms)
Instructions
- Remove stems from apples and insert dowels or twigs; set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat combine unwrapped caramels and 2 tablespoons water. Stir occasionally until just melted. Dip apples one at a time into caramel, using a spoon to help coat sides and top. Hold over pan, allowing excess caramel to drip off and scraping excess off the bottom of the apple. Place on prepared baking sheet.
- Chill apples until set, about 20 minutes. Trim excess caramel from the base with kitchen shears.
- Melt candy melts and dip base of each apple in chocolate. Let excess drip off, then cover with chocolate sprinkles. Return to baking sheet and chill until set.
- Fit a piping bag with a #2 plain tip, then fill with about ½ cup leftover melted chocolate. Pipe 7 or 8 lines from the top of the apple to chocolate base. Pipe curved lines in between to form a web pattern. To make spiders, pipe 8 little legs and place a chocolate candy in the center. Keep chilled until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Tara Teaspoon
I'm Tara, a recipe developer and food stylist with nearly 30 years in food publishing, including the test kitchens of Martha Stewart and Ladies' Home Journal. My recipes and styling have appeared in magazines, cookbooks, television and advertising, and I'm the author of two cookbooks, Delicious Gatherings and Live Life Deliciously. Every recipe here is tested and reliable. Have a question? Leave a comment and I'll answer it, or get new recipes by email.
Recipe and food styling by Tara Teaspoon. Photography Kate Sears. Propping Deborah Williams. Originally published in LHJ 10/11.
Jill says
Ok . . . these are the coolest! Thanks for the fabulous idea.
Tara Teaspoon Admin says
Thank you! Glad you can enjoy the recipe.
Mary Bench says
Sooooo creative! Thank you!
Melissa Griffiths says
Gimme alll the caramel apples!