The Best Candy Apple Bags, Candy Apple Boxes, & Packaging
Looking for the best candy apple bags, candy apple boxes, and supplies? Having made hundreds of candy apples over the years (and caramel apples too), and my candy apples recipe post is one of the most popular on my blog (of all time), I thought I’d throw together a list of my favorite candy apple supplies.
Originally published February 2018, updated October 2024.
Candy Apple Packaging
I’ve made and sold candy apples for fall parties, baby showers, birthday parties, and all kinds of other special occasions. Customers ultimately decide how simple or fancy they want the packaging to be, but there are a lot of candy apple packaging ideas I want to share.
If budget is an issue, clear cello bags are the perfect choice. A candy apple bag can be fancied up with a pretty bow or kept simple for kids’ party favors.
Packaging boxes are the way to go if the event or occasion is more elegant! When you present candy apples in fancy boxes, they have high visual appeal!
The top of the clear box allows guests to see the elegant and beautiful apples. To elevate your apples, you can also add bows, ribbons, stickers, or any other finishing touch!
I’m featuring both caramel apples and candy apples in this post and the same list of packaging options applies for both. I’m also including photos with captions describing the different packaging options I’ve used so you can see what you like.
One other note – you can occasionally find some of these supplies in big box stores or grocery stores but I have the but I find the best prices and selections online!
Candy Apple Bags
I primarily use boxes now, but before I started using boxes, I’d use cellophane bags for my candy and caramel apples. They are still a popular option and I might still do this if I had a huge order or if average buyers wanted to cut some costs.
Cellophane bags are also a good choice for kids’ parties because kids aren’t impressed with premium-quality packaging—the only thing they care about is the sweet candy apples!
Bags are easily the cheapest and easiest way to package your creative confections. I prefer these cellophane bags for my candy and caramel apples.
Best Size Bags for Candy Apples
What size bags for candy apples? What size cellophane bags for caramel apples?
The best size I’ve found is the 4″ x 9″ x 2″ cellophane bag. The 2″ measurement is important – that means it is a gusset-style bag with expandable sides, sort of lunch sack style.
Otherwise, the bag will be flat and not able to expand for the apple. When I use the bags, I usually close them with a twist tie, but you could also use ribbon or twine.
The two places I recommend for bags in bulk are Amazon and Country Kitchen Sweetart:
- Clear Cello Bags (same size as listed above)
- Clear Flat Bottom Gusset Bags
Candy Apple Boxes
Most people use bags but when it comes to candy apple packaging, I’ve found that I really love boxes best!
When you use bags, your candy or caramel apple usually sticks to the packaging. But when you put them in boxes, you avoid that problem and you can still add some custom design elements. Bonus: they’re so much prettier when ribbons or bows are added!!
There are a variety of candy apple boxes out there, but I’m going to discuss only a couple that I’m familiar with and their individual pros and cons.
Paper Candy Apple Boxes
Sometimes these are called paper window boxes, but they’re really more like very thin cardboard boxes with clear windows on the top and/or sides. Either way, I consider boxes the best packaging for caramel candy apples!
Premium quality boxes are amazing because they have a pre-cut hole for the apple stick, they have a clear view side(s) so you can see the bright colors of your sweet treats, they’re sturdy enough to stack, and they make beautiful candy or caramel apple gifts.
You can also offer custom candy apple boxes by adding a bow or ribbon to the top (these stretch loop bows or twist tie bows are SO easy and pretty) and you have the perfect packaging.
Tip: When pricing your apples, always remember to consider the additional costs and time associated with assembling and putting together these custom boxes and bows.
Yes, I charge more for the pretty boxes and ribbons because I want to profit from my candy-covered apples, and every product you use must be accounted for!
If you want to place bulk orders or shop for a brick-and-mortar candy shop, there are many options online, but I’ll link to my favorites at Country Kitchen SweetArt (my favorite online shop for cake, cupcake, cookie, and apple supplies!).
- Clear Candy Apple Boxes
- Brown Paper Candy Apple Window Boxes
- White Paper Candy Apple Boxes
- Fall Candy Apple Boxes (250 per case)
- Traditional Cube Shape Boxes (no window and no hole for the stick – see the description here)
- If you prefer Amazon, you can find the brown boxes here. They also come in white.
Miscellaneous Candy Apple Supplies
In addition to the primary packaging options (bags or boxes) other supplies are necessary!
Candy Apple Sticks
First up, in this picture above you can see that the apples have sticks. I always use wooden sticks for my apples, and I’ll link to some below, but another option is paper sticks for candy apples (like lollipop sticks, but usually larger and longer).
I usually get big bags of wooden sticks from 5″ to 7″ long – depending on the best price. But I usually prefer shorter ones because they work better with my favorite boxes.
Paper sticks are more difficult to insert into the apples and don’t have a sharp tip, so they’re not the right choice, in my opinion. Wooden sticks are far superior, and I’ve linked to my favorite ones below. If you want to use paper sticks, I’ve linked to a those as well – they come in a few different lengths.
Another fun option if you’re making Candy Apples for Halloween is to use these organic sticks or blingy sticks:
Candy Apple Cups
I like to use candy apple cups in both candy apple bags and candy apple boxes but they’re really required for the boxes. It gives them a more stable base and you don’t want your apple stuck to the bottom of a paper box!
Note: years ago I could buy these in fun color like red, orange and purple but I never see them in bright colors anyone (sadly). Here are the ones I use most often now:
Ribbons, Twist Ties, etc.
I have a million colors of ribbon that I use to decorate my cake boards and thousands of wire tie wraps for individually wrapped cookies, so I often use ribbon or wire twist ties covered in paper. They come in countless colors and designs!
For the photo above, I was going to sell caramel apples at a festival so I used up random pieces of ribbon to tie bows – they didn’t need to match each other or any particular theme.
But don’t be fooled—it is not a “quick” fix to tie dozens of bows around apple packaging (or cookies). Early on, I found myself frequently underestimating how long this would take, so now I definitely charge more for my time if clients want these personal touches.
I mentioned these above, but these bows with twist ties also have an easily decorative look without all the work of tying individual bows. They come in dozens of colors and are so pretty!
So that’s that! Do you have bags, sticks, or other packaging that you like better for your caramel and candy apples? Leave me a comment!
More Candy Apple & Caramel Apple Recipes & Tutorials
Dear Rose,
Thanks ever so much for all the time you spend educating your readers. I truly enjoy reading your blog. A request, please: could you publish a recipe for RED cinnamon candied apples…..the kind where the coating is hard-candy-like?
Sincerely, from a big fan in California!
Joyce
Thank you for sharing this information. Your kindness is appreciated!
Hi Rose, I am an avide reader of your posts. I was wondering if you would be willing to share your apple pricing?
Thanks,
Kimberly Lipari
Baton Rouge, LA
Hi Kimberly! I sell candy apples for $4 each and the caramel/white chocolate dipped apples are $11 each.
Thank you so much Rose.
Hi, I have a question just wondering if you sell your apples for $4&$12 how much would you sell to someone that wants to resell your apples? Thank you!
Hey Ashley – this is not something I have any experience with. I would think you’d have to have a pretty big operation and streamlined methods to discount for resale. For ME, if someone wanted to resell, it would be their responsibility to sell them for higher than my asking price (which I would not discount).
I’m going to tried the apples for my son’s wedding favors. I am also going to used the box to store them in.
I found your website today. I want to make candy apples to sell but I have not made candy apples before and I would love to get my granddaughter involved, she’s 12 years old.
Are there any tips that you can share that will help me-for instance how many apples to attempt at one time.
Also as far as pricing-I am thinking $6.00 for plain candy apples and perhaps $10.00 or $11.00 for the more fancier ones.
I
Your pricing sounds good. I don’t do more than one batch at a time – the candy gets hard too fast when you try to do more.
how do you make candyapples blue do have to buy candy mixes or what
What Carmel would I need to buy and where can I get it?
We use Peter’s – it can be found on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2lnM4Ve For more info on caramel and chocolate apples, this post may help: https://rosebakes.com/gourmet-caramel-white-chocolate-apples/
Hi Rose. Thanks for all the info. However, I do not see where to purchase the cellophane bags for the Candied Apples. I want to get the appropriate kind so as to not stick. Can you advise? Thanks
Please note she mentions in the post that the apples could stick to the bags, so she prefers the boxes, but if she needs to use bags, she uses these: https://www.amazon.com/100-Bag-Set-Gussett-Style/dp/B00A7AMN2G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1518125767&sr=8-3&keywords=4%22+x+9%22+cellophane+bags&linkCode=sl1&tag=rosebakes-20&linkId=3512cda9e1168da9b020b72a73bfea43