serves 4
4 Granny Smith apples
3 tablespoons blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
200g (7oz/generous 1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon malt or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
Autumn is my favourite season. The crisp, orange leaves, fresh chill in the air, and of course, toffee apples. To make the process fuss free, prepare the apples and nuts before you prepare the sugar, then keep them close by ready for dipping in the molten syrup. No autumnal gathering should be without these sweet, crackling treats.
Remove the stalks from the apples and push a wooden lollipop stick through the base end of the apples. Place a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray and add the apples. Set aside. Place the hazelnuts in a bowl.
Tip the sugar into a large pan with 50ml (2fl oz/¼ cup) cold water over a medium heat for 5 minutes. When the sugar has dissolved, stir in the vinegar and golden syrup. Place a sugar thermometer into the pan and boil to ‘hard-crack’ stage, or 150°C (302°F). If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, you can test if the toffee is at the hard-crack stage by dropping a spoonful of the mixture into a bowl of cold water – it should become hard and brittle when removed from the water.
When the toffee has reached the right temperature, remove it from the heat and carefully dip each apple into the hot toffee. Lay the coated apples on the greaseproof paper and sprinkle with the hazelnuts, before allowing to firm up for 2–3 minutes.
Use a sugar thermometer for the perfect toffee shell every time.