How to Prevent Bubbles on Candy Apples

When I wrote my post about making candy apples any color a few years ago, I could never have guessed how popular it would be or how many questions I'd get on the topic.  We'll just say "a lot".  Haha.  But without question, the one question I'm asked more than any other is How 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.  Until now.

After 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:

They look like they have warts, right?  It's so awful.  And those aren't even close to the worst apples I've ever made. I just try to not take pics of those ... haha!

The trouble was, for years I didn't know what caused them or how to prevent them.  Sometimes I'd get lucky and have very few bubbles.  Other times I'd make three times more apples than I needed for an order just trying to get enough of them to look pretty.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

I don't have step-by-step pictures for you today.  I really, really wanted to make another batch and do the pics or even a video.  Unfortunately we're sort-of kind-of starting to remodel our kitchen and lets just say this: our kitchen is a disaster.

But really - these steps are so easy to follow - I don't think the pictures are necessary. And if by some miracle, I can clear a spot and take pictures soon, I'll be super happy to add them to this post.

Without any more rambling - here are my suggestions for making bubble free candy apples.

How 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.  But water is another culprit that causes bubbles so you'll want them to be very, very dry.  I have dipped apples within a short time of cleaning them, but some of my apples still had small bubbles.

So, if you must clean them and dip them right away, make sure you DRY, DRY, DRY THEM.

Now if you're ready to get busy... here are the steps to prevent bubbles on candy apples.

• 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.
• Add 1-2 tablespoon 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.
• Next, pull any stems and stickers off of your apples and drop them into the steaming hot water.
• 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 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 slightly 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!!

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Trader Joe's Fruit & Vegetable Wash

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Candy Apple Recipes & How To's:

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!

How to Make Candy Apples Any Color!

How to Make Soft Pink Cotton Candy Candy Apples!

If you don't want to make candy apples from scratch, check out my post for How to Make Purple (Grape) Candy Apples from a mix!