How Long Are Caramel Apples Good For?
To put it simply, caramel apples are good for or can maintain their quality for up to three weeks if you refrigerate them as soon as you buy them. Their appearance and their taste both will stay intact – with their taste being enhanced after they have been chilled.
Caramel apples keep for around 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator when you store them in a refrigerator container for up to 2 hours after baking. Caramel apples can last at room temperature for up to 7 days when stored airtight. Caramel lasts for up to 6-9 months when stored at room temperature or a cool place, such as your pantry.
Listeria growth occurs faster when the caramel apple is stored at room temperature than if it is refrigerated. This growth is accelerated at room temperature, as results showed 1,000-fold increase in listeria monocytogenes in caramel apples that had no sticks that were refrigerated for three days.
You can keep apples in the fridge for 2-3 days, but we found that they are best eaten on the day we made them. If you do not enjoy them immediately, keep them in the fridge until you are ready to serve. If you can, put your apples in the fridge for several hours to days beforehand to ensure that your apples are fully chilled prior to diving. I have had better results with apples that are at room temperature. Once the apples are dipped, put them on a sheet of parchment paper.
| Storage | Temperature | Shelf Life |
| Pantry/Kitchen counter | 68-72°F | 7 days |
| In the refrigerator | 32-34°F | 2-3 weeks |
| Freezer | 0°F (-18°C) | 6 months |
You do not want to lose any of that delicious caramel! If you put parchment paper on the baking sheet before starting, then it is easy to slide apples into the refrigerator after they are dipped. Use a kitchen shears, if necessary, to cut off caramel feet (extra globs of caramel at the bottom of apples) from apples before they are dipped into chocolate. The feet help to seal in the caramel, preventing it from sliding out too. If you dipped apples right after making caramel, caramel would just slide out.
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If my homemade caramel recipe is too hot and has not cooled enough, then the caramel will slide off and create a pool of caramel on the bottom of your apples. If the caramel falls off quickly after being dipped, the caramel is still too hot–allow the caramel to cool a little longer. Make sure that your caramel is not so cold it is lumpy when you are trying to coating apples. You do not want your caramel to be too thick, so you are struggling to get a nice coating onto your apples.
The apples will help the caramel to more instantly adhere to the apples when you are coating them. Holding an apple with a stick, drop it in the caramel, gently swirling to cover all sides.
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Holding will also slow down the oxidation and the growth of bacteria (which might have entered the apple by sticking). Remove apple from refrigerator approximately 45 minutes before eating, allowing the caramel to soften. If the candied or caramel apple remains refrigerated, then listeria cannot grow there, either. If Listeria monocytogenes bacteria is present, it is at only very low, harmless levels, and cannot grow to higher levels on apple skin. The coating on the caramel, in turn, seals the bacteria away, providing a sugary microenvironment in which the Listeria could grow unchecked, reaching levels high enough to cause disease.
Heres what I have learned about why caramel may occasionally form bubbles, and how you can prevent it. To prevent it, you are encouraged to soak your apples in really hot water for 10-15 minutes. You can get rid of waxy coatings by either boiling them in just one minute, or bysoaking them in store bought apples in very hot water for 5-10 minutes. Bring the water to a simmer, then immerse chilled Granny Smith apples in boiling water for 10 seconds only. Soak apple slices for 5 minutes, and then strain out the water and put apples into ZipLoc bags, pushing out any air.
They dip all 144 granny Smith apples in the hot caramel, then, after cooling, store the apples at room temperature or store in a refrigerator up to four weeks.
Because the apples that are dipped in the caramel are usually left for several days, perhaps as long as two weeks, that is plenty of time for the bacteria to grow. In times where you cannot make them to eat, you can expect that your caramel apples will survive about two weeks before starting to spoil. The introduction of cold air will make the caramel sauce set up slightly, but you can store in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks before it goes bad.
After making the caramel, pour the caramel into crock pot and set on “keep warming” on Low. The caramel will be at an appropriate temperature for it to properly set over apples. I like to test a single apple to see if the caramel has set. You can certainly save the caramel for a later treat — just stir some extra cream or milk into it to make it thinner, put in a jar, and put in the freezer. Make your own homemade caramel (this takes about 70 minutes) or melt store-bought pre-wrapped (wrapped off) caramel in a big pot with 2 tbsps milk.
If you do not want to dip around 20 medium-sized apples, you can dip as many as you like, then pour leftover caramel into a small baking dish for cutting into candy apples, later. Immediately after coating with the caramel, before the caramel sets, roll the apples that have been coated with caramel in finely chopped nuts, toffee pieces, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or coconut. Refrigerating is not recommended because the caramel apples are at risk for listeria, and apples can lose freshness and firmness at room temperature very easily.
Apples-I like using Granny Smiths to give a little tartness that balances the sweetness of the caramel and topping, but pretty much any kind of apple would work here. Generally, apples that have tart flavors, such as Granny Smith, are preferred for balancing the sweetness of the caramel. Any variety of apples such as the Granny Smith, Fuji, or Honeycrisp is a good choice, provided that you enjoy the taste of any such variety such as Granny Smith.
How do you make caramel apples last longer?
To save your apples in the ice chest for a more extended measure of time, enclose every one by wax paper so they don’t remain together, then place them in a hermetically sealed compartment. Assuming you refrigerate the apples, eliminate them from the refrigerator 45 minutes prior to eating so the sugarcoating is more straightforward to slice through.
Can caramel apples go bad?
In ideal conditions, you should strive to consume your caramel apples as soon as you can to keep the apples fresh. When you can’t do this, your caramel apples should keep for approximately 2 weeks before they start to go bad.
How do you store caramelized apples?
Place the mixture in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until it has slightly cooled down. The refrigerator should be able to store it for up to a week. It is advised not to freeze it. You shouldn’t keep caramel apples at room temperature.