Vegan Toffee Apples are a special autumn treat. I used to LOVE toffee apples around Halloween and Bonfire Night. We really weren’t allowed them at any other time. There is no way to make these healthy so just enjoy them the way they are – just not very often.
Autumn is the best time to eat Vegan Toffee Apples. Autumn brings Halloween, Bonfire Night, falling leaves and special treats like Vegan Toffee Apples. If you like these and have a sweet tooth you will love Gluten Free, Vegan Sweet Squash/ Pumpkin Tart. To balance your diet you might want to enjoy some other autumnal treats such as Pumpkin Salad with Crispy Sage or you could have Parsnip and Walnut Soup with Walnut Pesto to go with your seasonal Vegan Toffee Apple.
Vegan Toffee Apples are easy to make but require a little bit of time and a great deal of care and caution due to the very hot sugar.
Allergy Information – Vegan Toffee Apples
Vegan Toffee Apples are gluten-free and vegan as well as… celery free, coconut free, garlic free, lupin free, mustard free, nightshade free, onion free, peanut free, sesame free, soya free, tree nut free.
Top Tips – Vegan Toffee Apples
Use a sugar thermometer. You will get a very accurate temperature which takes away some of the guess work if you have to drop the toffee into cold water.
Do not stir the cooking mixture. There is a small possibility that stirring will enable crystallisation of the sugar and ruin the toffee. Gently swirl the pan to mix and ensure even cooking.
Vegan Toffee Apples are best eaten the same day – the toffee has a habit of going a bit goey (the toffee starts to liquefy) after more than a day or two – even when stored in an air-tight container.
Recipe – Vegan Toffee Apples
Difficulty easy but caution is needed due to the heat of the sugar mixture
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients – Vegan Toffee Apples
4-6 medium eating apples e.g. Granny Smith
400 grams sugar
120 millilitres water
4 tablespoons golden syrup
50 grams vegan margarine (suitable for frying and baking)
You will also need wooden ice-lolly sticks and a sugar thermometer
Method – Vegan Toffee Apples
1. To make sure the apples have no wax on them, and to help the toffee stick, place the apples in a large bowl, cover the apples with boiling water and quickly drain. Dry the apples, twist off the stalks and push wooden ice lolly sticks halfway into the core of the apples from the stalk end
2. In a large, heavy-based pan add the sugar and water, swirl the pan to mix and place on a low heat umtil the sugar has dissolve (approximately five minutes)
3. Add the golden syrup and margarine and swirl until melted and combined. Bring to the boil without stirring, otherwise the sugar may crystallise. Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes. Monitor the temperature and until the mixture reaches 150 C (hard-crack stage). (If you don’t have a thermometer, check if the toffee is ready by adding a couple of drops of the mixture into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly, and when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squash it, continue to boil)
4. Once the mixture reaches the hard-crack stage (150 C), switch off the heat and let the simmering subside a little. Tilt the pan and quickly and carefully dip and twirl the apples one at a time in the toffee. Ensure the apples are completely covered in the toffee. Let any excess drip away before placing on grease-proof paper or silicone lined baking tray to harden. (If the toffee becomes too thick because the temperature has dropped, simply heat again)
5. Once set, store the toffee apples in an airtight container in a dry place (not the fridge). Eat within 24 hours or the toffee will soften and go goey.
