Makes 8
Ingredients:
100ml Water plus extra for boiling to cover apples
450g Golden Caster Sugar
2 tsp vinegar
4 tbsp Golden Syrup
8 Eating apples of your choice - not huge ones!
A dash of red food colouring
Method:
1. Place apples in a large bowl and pour over some boiling water to cover. This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the end of the apple where the stalk used to be.
2. Lay out a sheet of grease-proof paper (baking parchment) and place the apples on this. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and put on a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 140°C or the 'hard crack' stage. If you don't have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. If it hardens instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break, it is ready. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it. Quickly stir in the food colouring.
3. Working quickly and carefully, cover each apple in the hot toffee by dipping them in, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You can heat the toffee a little if it starts to set before you have finished using it. Leave the toffee to cool before eating.
Enjoy as a treat any time of the year or as a traditional Autumnal snack!
*You can use bright red and dark green food colourings (not both at the same time, but in separate toffees) to create some Christmassy festive treats!*
