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National Candy Apple Day

Food · Seasonal · October 31

A day for candy apples: crisp whole apples on a stick, dipped in a hard, glossy red sugar shell that cracks when you bite it.

National Candy Apple Day falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026. That is 4 days away.

A candy apple is a whole apple pushed onto a stick and dipped in hot sugar syrup, usually tinted bright red. The syrup cools into a thin, hard shell that shines like glass.

Eating one takes some strategy. The first bite meets resistance, then the shell cracks and gives way to cold, tart fruit underneath. Tart apples are a common choice because their sharpness balances all that sugar. Some people go in from the side, others work around the top, and nearly everyone ends up with a sticky chin.

Candy apples turn up at fall fairs, carnivals and harvest festivals, often next to their softer cousin, the caramel apple. The two get mixed up, but they are different treats. Caramel is chewy and pale gold. A candy apple's coating is cooked to the hard crack stage, so it sets firm and brittle.

Making them at home is mostly sugar, water and patience, plus a candy thermometer and a careful hand, since the syrup gets very hot. Apples dip best when they are clean and dry, because the coating slides off a waxy or damp skin. A few sprinkles or chopped nuts pressed on before the shell sets make a tidy finish.

The stick does more than look nice. It is the only part of a candy apple that stays clean.

Ways to celebrate

• Look for candy apples at a local fall fair or farm stand.
• Try making a small batch at home with a candy thermometer.
• Compare a candy apple and a caramel apple side by side.
• Share a candy apple sliced into wedges with friends.

Dates

All national days on October 31

Also on October 31

• Halloween
• National Caramel Apple Day
• National Knock-Knock Jokes Day
• National Magic Day
• Girl Scout Founder's Day

Categories: Food daysSeasonal days