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JAZZ TOFFEE APPLES

 

Have a bit fun on Halloween with these crunchy crazy apples

 

Makes 6

 

6 large Jazz apples

300g (10oz) granulated sugar

1 tsp vinegar (red or white wine or cider or malt vinegar)

6 wooden skewers or lolly sticks

baking tray lined with foil, lightly oiled

 

1 Wash and dry the apples well. Push each one onto a wooden skewer or stick, through the core.

2 Put the sugar in a heavy-based pan with 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) water and heat slowly until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook without stirring until it reaches hard crack stage 138-143°C on a sugar thermometer. (Or until it hardens into a ball when you drop a little into a bowl of cold water.)

3 Take the pan off the heat and cool it quickly by dipping it into a bowl of cold water for a few seconds. Wait a minute then dip each apple into the hot toffee, twirling it around in the syrup to coat it well. Leave the toffee apples to set on the foil-lined tray.

They will keep a day if kept in the cool and dry or wrapped in cellophane.

To make Scary Faces: Carve out eyes and a mouth from the apples (as you would a Halloween pumpkin). Dip the top of the apples in the hot caramel and twist and turn them to spin the sugar into hair threads, which will set quickly. Put sugar jellies in the ‘eye sockets’, if you like.

To make Spooky Ghosts: Roll out white fondant icing (a 454g pack will be enough for 5 ghosts) thinly and cut out 20cm (8in) rounds, using a plate as a guide. Drape the icing over the apple on a stick then cut out eyes, through the icing, to show the red skin of the apple.

Eat the novelty apples on the day of making.