Toffee Apple Recipe James Martin Food

HOMEMADE TOFFEE APPLES

Steps:

• Place the apples in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water (you may have to do this in 2 batches). This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.
• Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over 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 150C or '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. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.
• Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. Can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in a dry place.

SPICED TOFFEE APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with baking parchment. Put the dates and milk in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 mins to cool.
• Whizz the date mixture to a smooth purée in a food processor or blender, then scrape into a large mixing bowl. Tip in the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, eggs, mixed spice and vanilla, and set aside while you prepare the apples.
• Quarter and core the apples, then slice quite thinly, tossing in a little lemon juice as you go. Quickly beat together the cake ingredients with an electric whisk until smooth, then scrape into the baking tray. Arrange the apple slices, overlapping in rows, on top of the cake - you should be able to get 3 rows lengthways down the tray. Bake for 45-50 mins until a skewer poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tray.
• Put the toffees in a small pan with a good splash of milk and gently melt, stirring, until runny. To finish, dust with a little icing sugar, then drizzle sauce all over the cake. Cut into squares or slices to serve.

STICKY TOFFEE APPLE PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease a 2-litre/3½-pint ovenproof dish lightly with butter. Tip the flour, sugar and baking powder, along with a pinch of salt, into a large bowl. Mix together the milk, butter, egg and vanilla extract and stir into the dry ingredients until you get a smooth batter. Arrange the apples in the dish, spoon the batter on top and smooth with a knife until the apples are covered.
• For the topping, pour 250ml boiling water over the sugar and stir together until smooth. Pour the liquid over the pudding mixture, then scatter over the pecans. Bake for about 40 mins until the pudding has risen and is golden. Use a big spoon to serve the pudding, making sure you get some of the gooey caramel sauce covering the bottom of the dish. Serve with pouring cream, warm custard or vanilla ice cream.

HALLOWEEN TOFFEE APPLES

Steps:

• Pull any stalks off the twigs and push the sharpest end of each stick (or the lolly sticks) into the stalk-end of each apple, making sure it is firmly wedged in. Put a large piece of baking parchment onto a wooden board.
• Tip the sugar into a large saucepan and add the lemon juice and 100ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Swirl the pan gently to move the sugar around, but don't stir. Add the golden syrup and bubble the mixture (be careful it doesn't boil over) until it reaches 'hard crack' stage or 150C on a sugar thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, test the toffee by dropping a small amount into cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle. If it's soft, continue to boil. When it's ready, drip in some food colouring and swirl to combine. Add the glitter, if using, and turn off the heat.
• Working quickly, dip each apple into the toffee, tipping the pan to cover all the skin. Lift out and allow any excess to drip off before putting on the baking parchment. Repeat with the remaining apples. Gently heat the toffee again if you need to. Best eaten on the same day.

TOFFEE APPLES

Steps:

• Push a wooden cocktail stick into each apple core, making sure they are secure. Put the sugar and water in a large heavy-based saucepan, with a sugar thermometer attached, and heat gently until dissolved.
• Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.
• Boil until the temperature reaches the soft crack stage 143 C (290 F), when a little of the syrup dropped into cold water separates into hard but not brittle threads.
• Brush down the sides of the pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
• Do not stir.
• Dip the apples into the toffee, twirl around for a few seconds to allow excess toffee to drip off, then leave to cool and set on a buttered baking sheet or waxed paper.
• Do not keep for more than 1 day.

TOFFEE APPLES

Steps:

• rinse apples under cold water and stand on rack until completely dry, do not rub with a cloth.
• grease an oven tray.
• push a skewer three quarters of the way into each apple at the stem end.
• combine sugar, water, glucose syrup and colouring in a heavy-based saucepan.
• stir over heat, without boiling until sugar is dissolved.
• boil uncovered without stirring about 20 minutes or until mixture reaches a crack stage (remove sugar syrup from heat, allow bubbles to subside, drop a teaspoon of syrup into cold water, it should set hard and be hard to crack with fingers).
• remove syrup from heat, stand pan in baking dish of warm water about 1 minute or until bubbles subside.
• remove pan from water, tilt pan, dip and rotate an apple slowly in toffee until apple is completely coated.
• twirl apple round a few times before placing onto greased oven tray to set.
• pepeat with remaining apples and toffee.