Caramel Apple Lollipops Recipe

Caramel apple lollipops featuring green apple-flavored suckers dipped in gooey caramel. The best green apple and caramel lollipop recipe!

Why Make These Caramel Apple Lollipops?

As a kid, I remember making an annual family visit to the York Fair in my hometown of York, PA.

One of the best things about the York Fair (or any fair, really!) is the food. Funnel cakes, fried Oreo cookies, corn dogs, steak sandwiches, French fries, cotton candy…the fair offers a seemingly endless variety of junk food indulgences.

One of my favorite fair foods is a caramel-dipped apple. (They’re easier to eat than a traditional red candy apple, and they taste better, too…) Even today, I’ll stop for a caramel apple if I see a vendor selling them at a street fair. For this recipe, I wanted to create a lollipop with flavors directly inspired by this treat.

This caramel apple lollipop recipe starts with a basic lollipop, flavored with tart green apple and tinted with green gel food coloring. To finish, I’ve dunked each pop in gooey melted caramel for candy version of the county fair confection.

These lollipops only look complicated; they’re actually quite easy to make! You will need a few pieces of special equipment, including a lollipop mold and a good digital thermometer, but if you don’t already own these, they’re useful additions to your candymaking toolkit and will come in handy for other recipes. (Might I suggest making my peppermint lollipops next?)

Ingredients for Making Green Apple Lollipops

To make caramel and green apple lollipops, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar forms the base for the syrup. Caster sugar (measured by weight) works equally well.
  
• Corn Syrup – You can use corn syrup (I prefer Golden Barrel) or Light Karo Syrup. For accuracy, use a kitchen scale to measure the syrup by weight rather than volume; otherwise, you’ll lose too much product in the measuring cup.

• Green Apple Flavoring – Essential for capturing the flavor of a classic Granny Smith apple. I made this batch using Super Strength Green Apple by LorAnn Oils.
• Gel Food Coloring – For tinting the sugar syrup. I used Chefmaster‘s Neon Brite Green.
• Kraft Caramels – Kraft Caramels feature prominently in this recipe, but they aren’t always easy to find. (If you’re in the US, you can buy them on Amazon.) If you cannot find Kraft Caramels, you can use another chewy caramel candy. You can also make your own caramel, or simply make green apple lollipops without the caramel dip.
• Nonstick Cooking Spray – To grease the lollipop mold.

Optional Lollipop Decorations

I made my lollipops with a plain caramel coating, but feel free to get creative! You could dunk the caramel in rainbow sprinkles or crushed salted peanuts, just like the caramel apples at the fair.

If adding extra toppings, you’ll need to work quickly—the caramel doesn’t take long to set.

Special Tools and Equipment

To make this recipe, I recommend the following tools and equipment:

• Lollipop Mold – You will need a silicone lollipop mold to make this recipe. The cavities in my mold measure about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; you can go slightly bigger or smaller, if desired.
• Lollipop Sticks – Lollipop sticks are easily purchased from a craft supply store like Michael’s. They are also available to order on Amazon. Double-check to make sure the sticks you’ve chosen will fit in your mold.
• Digital Thermometer – You’ll need to cook the hot sugar to 300° F / 148° C on a candy thermometer. This Taylor digital thermometer is my go-to. Because your sugar temperatures must to be precise (otherwise you’ll end up with taffy or caramel!) I do not suggest making this lollipop recipe without a thermometer.
• Pastry Brush – For brushing down the sides of the pan while cooking the sugar syrup. This helps to prevent crystallization.
• Silicone Mats – Placing the dipped lollipops on a silicone baking mat prevents the caramel from sticking, and makes for easy cleanup, too.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Homemade caramel apple lollipops will keep for at least a month, if not longer. To prevent the lollipops from sticking together, wrap each pop individually. Small cello bags and twist ties work best for packaging these. Do not use wax paper or it will stick to the caramel.

Because of their long shelf life, these caramel apple pops also ship extremely well, so they’re ideal for long-distance gifting.

Other candy recipes you might enjoy:

Peppermint Lollipops
Old-Fashioned Hard Candy
Lemon Drops Candy

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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