Caramel Apple Marshmallows

Amethyst · October 7, 2025, 12:35am

Caramel Apple Marshmallows

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings 16 marshmallows

Ingredients:

Apple Marshmallows:

1.5 ounces freeze-dried apples (see note; it was 1 heaping cup of apples for me)
4 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin (two envelopes; about ½ ounce)
¾ cup water, divided
¾ cup sugar
½ cup agave syrup, divided (or substitute honey or light corn syrup)

Salted Caramel Sauce:

⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup agave syrup
2 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature (can use salted or unsalted to your preference)
½ cup heavy (whipping) cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or sea salt; optional, see note)
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)

For Finishing:

16 lollipop sticks (see note)
chocolate for topping, if desired
sprinkles for topping, if desired
chopped peanuts for topping, if desired

Directions:

For Marshmallows:

Coat an 8" square pan with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to overhang the edges of the pan to form handles. Set aside.

Process the freeze-dried apples (see note) in the bowl of a food processor until ground finely. A coffee or spice grinder also works well, though you will have to process small batches of the apples due to the small size of the bowl. The marshmallows will still be delicious if you have some larger pieces of apple, but the marshmallows won’t be smooth. Set the powdered apples aside (Keep away from moisture, or it will clump. It will even absorb the moisture from the air, so don’t grind the apples in advance!)

In a small bowl, whisk gelatin and ½ cup water. Set aside to soften for 5 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, ¼ cup agave syrup (can substitute with honey or light corn syrup), and remaining ¼ cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the syrup temperature reaches 240℉ on a candy thermometer (see note).

While the syrup is boiling, pour the remaining ¼ cup of agave syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer. Place gelatin mixture in microwave for about 30 seconds, or until it is completely melted. Add gelatin mixture to the mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, turn the mixer on low and keep it running.

Once syrup reaches 240℉, pour slowly and carefully into mixer bowl (while mixer is still running on low). Be VERY careful not to touch the syrup, as it will stick to your skin and cause serious burns!

Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 5 more minutes. Then increase the mixer speed to high and beat for another 2 minutes. The mixture will be white, shiny, and will have tripled in volume.

Pour half the ground apples into the marshmallow mixture, folding in to combine. Once nearly combined, add the other half of the apples and repeat.

Spread marshmallows into prepared pan, smoothing the top (an offset spatula works great for this; see note). Let the marshmallows set up at room temperature for at least 2 hours, but 4 is better.

For Salted Caramel Sauce:

Pour sugar and agave syrup into a medium saucepan. Whisk over medium-high heat as sugar melts. It will clump and you’ll think you’re doing it all wrong. You’re not!

Once sugar is melted, stop whisking and let the sugar cook until it is deep amber in color. *Carefully* add butter (mixture will bubble!) and whisk to incorporate.

Remove mixture from the heat. Add cream (carefully!) and whisk until smooth. Add salt (if desired, see note) and vanilla bean paste (see note) and stir to incorporate.

Pour caramel into a heatproof cup of a size to be able to dip the marshmallows. I used a glass one-cup measuring cup. Allow caramel to cool to nearly room temperature (this took about an hour for me).

For Dipping/Assembly:

Remove marshmallows from the pan and cut into 16 marshmallows (a greased pizza cutter works nicely for this; see note). Insert a lollipop stick (see note) into each marshmallow and set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat (see note).

Dip each marshmallow almost completely in the salted caramel sauce. Let excess caramel drip off, then place on a Silpat. The coating will be thin (a thicker caramel would pull your marshmallow right off the stick). If you’d like the caramel coating to be a bit thicker, you can let the first coating of caramel set up in the fridge, and then dip the marshmallows a second time.

Caramel that drips off the marshmallows onto the silpat can be re-gathered (I used a bench scraper) and put back into the cup/bowl to be used again for dipping. Once set, you can add chopped peanuts, sprinkles, and/or a drizzle of chocolate, if desired.

The dipped marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. I don’t recommend refrigerating or freezing your marshmallows, as the humidity will wreak havoc on their texture.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Note on freeze-dried apples - Make sure that you’re using freeze-dried apples and not just dried. Freeze-dried apples will be crunchy, free of moisture, and can be ground into a powder.

Note on candy thermometer - The best way to ensure your sugar syrup is at the appropriate temperature!

Note on fleur de sel - You can use any coarse sea salt. The salt is optional, but I think the salted caramel is a lovely complement to the sweet marshmallows.

Note on offset spatula - Not a necessity, but it helps to keep your fingers out of the marshmallow while you spread it in the pan!

Note on pizza cutter - A greased pizza cutter makes quick work of cutting the marshmallows and leaves them with nice, clean-cut edges. I had a fancy marshmallow cutter, and it didn’t do the job nearly as well!

Note on lollipop sticks - I can never find these in my local grocery store, and end up buying them at a craft store or online. The sticks I used were 6 inches long.

Note on vanilla bean paste - I love the fantastic flavor and beautiful specks of vanilla bean in the caramel! If you’d prefer, you can substitute with an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Note on silpats - I used these silicone baking mats to set the marshmallows on after I dipped them. It allowed me to gather up the caramel that had run off the marshmallows onto the mat and scrape it back into the cup I was using for dipping.

Note on bench scraper - What I used to gather up the dripped caramel so I could use it.

Note on parchment - Can be used instead of silpats, but more difficult to gather the caramel that’s dripped back into the bowl for use. I cut small squares of parchment to set each caramel-coated marshmallow on.

Toppings (Optional):

Melted Chocolate, Chopped Peanuts, and/or Sprinkles - If you’d like, you can add toppings to your Caramel Apple Marshmallows. I chose chopped salted peanuts, some festive fall sprinkles, and a drizzle of semi-sweet chocolate for mine.

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of Live to Sweet.com