The sweet, crunchy classic that’s been delighting crowds for over a century!
Toffee apples (or candy apples if you’re across the pond) are a fairground favourite — shiny, scarlet, and sugar-coated, they’ve become a symbol of Autumn, Halloween, Bonfire Night, and nostalgia.
But where did these sticky treats come from? What colours can you make them and just how much sugar is in one apple-on-a-stick? 🍎 Let’s dive into some fun facts and delicious history!
📜 A Brief History of the Toffee Apple
Born by accident?
Although apples have been coated in honey and sugar syrup as preserving agents since ancient times these are not the toffee apples that we know and love today.
The modern toffee apple may have been invented by mistake. One of the most popular stories dates back to 1908, when a US candy maker named William Kolb dipped apples into leftover red cinnamon toffee to decorate his Christmas window display in Newark, New Jersey.
Customers were so intrigued, they begged to buy them — and so he obliged at 5 cents a pop – and thus the candy apple craze began!
🧾 Quick timeline:
- 1900s: Cinnamon candy apples sold in US shops
- 1910s–30s: Caramel and nut-covered versions gain popularity
- 1940s–50s: UK adopts the red toffee version, often with a firmer, sugar-glass coating
- Present day: Still a go-to for autumn festivals, fireworks nights, and fairgrounds
Black and Green has to be seen
🍎 While red is the classic colour often served up at Autumn festivals and on Guy Fawkes night with a little bit of creativity and colouring you can make them suitable for almost any occasion
Black Toffee Apples
In Mexico it is not uncommon to see black toffee apples around the Day of the Dead – Día de los Muertos.
Spooky black toffee Apples are great for:
- Halloween
- Vampire and Gothic themed parties
- Horror movie nights
- Haunted houses
- Trick or Treat night.
For dramatic effect use sugar skull designs, edible glitter or metallic sticks.
They are also ideal for 🎭 Masquerade Balls, Black Tie events or Black & White Parties where they look great displayed with silver, white, or glittering decorations.
Green Toffee Apples
Black and Green versions are often known as Poison Toffee Apples or witch’s apples.
Add some green food colouring and maybe a little slime and they become great for lots of occasions:
🎃 Halloween
🧙♀️ Villain or Witch themes – think the Evil Queen in Snow white
👽 Sci-Fi or Alien-Themed Parties. Turn them into alien fruit or add some neon to make them ‘radioactive’.
🧪 Mad Scientist Parties. Serve them as “experimental apples” or “slime apples” for a fun, science-lab feel.
🐍 Jungle or Reptile Themes. They can mimic snake skin or jungle plants — ideal for animal or adventure-themed events.
🍀 St. Patrick’s Day. A bright green shamrock-themed or leprechaun-inspired toffee apple fits right in with all things Irish and lucky. Decorate with shamrock sprinkles or gold edible dust or coins for extra magic.
A Colour for Every Occasion
🎃 Halloween
- Go with Black or Green for poison apples or opt for the classic Halloween colours of purple and orange
Add edible glitter, gummy worms, slime or black sticks for extra spookiness.
🎄 Christmas
- Red & Green – traditional festive colours
Gold or Silver – luxurious and wintery; use edible glitter for sparkle- White – snow-dusted effect (can be rolled in coconut or icing sugar)
💖 Valentine’s Day
- Pink or Red – romantic and sweet
- Add heart sprinkles, edible glitter, or drizzle with white chocolate
💍 Weddings or Special Occasions
- White, gold, silver or custom-coloured apples as elegant favours
- Personalise with initials, ribbons, or mini tags
- Use black for elegance – add gold leaf or silver sprinkles for a luxury finish.
🧁 Birthday Parties
- Match the toffee apple colour to the party theme or favourite colours
- Fun for both kids and adults – think blue, pink, yellow, or rainbow swirls
👶 Baby Showers or Gender Reveals
- Pink or Blue – classic colour reveals
- You could coat apples in white and fill the inside with a coloured surprise (e.g. dyed apple flesh or a coloured drizzle inside)
🎉 Carnivals & Fairs
- Use bright, playful colours like turquoise, orange, or bubblegum pink
- Perfect for attracting attention at stalls or themed events
👽 Themed Parties
- Green or Neon – mad scientist, alien, slime, or radioactive and potion party themes
- Galaxy colours – use purple, blue and black swirls with glitter
🏳️🌈 Pride Events
- Make rainbow-coloured apples or dip in coloured sugar to match pride flags
Why the UK Loves Them for Bonfire Night
While Americans associate them with Halloween and fall festivals, in the UK, Bonfire Night (November 5th) is peak toffee apple season.
Why?
- Sugar was a special treat in post-war Britain
- Apples were abundant in autumn
- They’re perfect for cold evenings and crackling bonfires
- They’re nostalgic — just like fireworks and sparklers
🎠 Fairgrounds made them iconic
The rise of toffee apples in the UK closely mirrors the popularity of travelling fairs and funfairs. They were cheap to make, easy to carry, and perfect for kids (and adults!) to munch on while wandering the fair.
Add in a merry-go-round, some candy floss, and a hot dog, and you’re living the retro fairground dream. 🎪
Science and Sugar
🧪 Toffee gets its crunch from chemistry
Toffee becomes “hard crack” at 150°C (302°F) — that’s hotter than boiling oil! The sugar molecules reorganise to form a brittle glassy structure, perfect for that first crunchy bite.
🔬 Want to impress friends? That satisfying “snap” is called amorphous crystallisation. Science!
How much sugar is in a toffee apple
A standard toffee apple typically contains about 20–30 grams of sugar per apple. The exact amount depends on:
- Size of the apple – larger apples mean more natural fruit sugars.
- Thickness of the toffee coating – thicker layers have more added sugar.
- Type of sugar used – refined white sugar is most common; some recipes might use golden syrup or other variations.
Typical breakdown:
- Apple (medium): ~15–20g of natural sugars
- Toffee coating: ~10–15g of added sugar
→ Total: ~25–35g sugar per toffee apple
For comparison:
That’s roughly 6–9 teaspoons of sugar, or the same as a can of cola.
🍏 The World’s Most Expensive Toffee Apple
In 2015, Scottish chef Mark Greenaway crafted what was dubbed the world’s most expensive toffee apple. It was covered in £200 of extravagant 24 carat gold leaf and also had gold flakes and powder in it’s caramel coating. For a toffee tipple it included 50ml of whiskey worth £1,800 from a 50 year bottle of single malt. It was commissioned by Euromillions who asked the chef to come up with a ‘pud fit for a millionaire’.
Toffee Apples are Eco-friendly
They’re surprisingly low-waste
Toffee apples are eco-friendly snacks:
- No wrappers or packaging if served on-site
- Apple cores are compostable
- Sticks can be wooden and biodegradable
So your autumn treat is a little bit greener than you thought!
🍎 Final Thought
Toffee apples are more than just a sugary snack — they’re a fun bite-sized slice of history and culture. From fairground stalls to weddings to family kitchens, they’ve stuck around (literally and figuratively!) for over a century.
Whether you’re making them yourself or picking one up at a fireworks display, now you can enjoy your next toffee apple with a little extra knowledge — and maybe a sprinkle of glitter too. ✨
