Make toffee apples

One thing that as a kid I always liked and would always ask fro if I saw them was a toffee apple.  Something about caramelised sugar and the apple just working so well together that no matter what combination you put it with it just works. And to get it on a stick and just bite in to the hard crisp toffee otter and the apple in the middle perfect as a taste sensation

 

You will need,

225g/9oz Demerara sugar

110ml/4floz water

0.5 tsp vinegar

2 tbsp golden syrup

25g/1oz butter

6 apples

6 wooden skewers, for holding the apples

Once again this is all about melting sugar and knowing when it is ready so the best tool for the job is a sugar thermometer. But if you do not have one the sate that you want the sugar to be at is what is called hard crack. To tell if you have reached this stage, you take some of the boiling sugar and dip it in cold water, it should harden immediately.  What you are looking for is hard but not sticky.  That or you boil it to about 140c/ 275f

So add your sugar to the water and let it all dissolve then add the butter and the syrup turn up the heat and bring it to the boil.  Once you have got it to the right temperature then you can take it of the heat, it takes about 10 minutes altogether.

Take your apples and stick a stick in each one.  You should be able to get the skewers from most good cook shops, or just get some doweling from a hard ware shop. 

While the toffee is still hot, dip in the apples one at a time and give them a good coating of toffee.  Dip them twice if you have to.  The toffee should set quit hard rather quickly.

Pop the apples on a lightly oiled try to cool and then once cool they are ready to eat.

If you are going to eat them in a day or so rap them in some cellophane , red if you can get to make them look totally authentic.