Exploding toffee apples

Method

• step 1

  Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Peel the top half of the apples as evenly as you can, leaving the bottom unpeeled. Place the apples upside-down on top of the tray and push a wooden chopstick into each one, through the core.

• step 2

  For the caramel, place the caster sugar in a heavy-based pan with 2 tablespoons of water and the golden syrup and place over a medium heat. Using a sugar thermometer, bring the caramel up to 140˚C. If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, cook the sugar and water until it becomes a shiny, medium dark brown caramel. Hot sugar is very dangerous in contact with little hands, so keep safe when doing this.

• step 3

  Once the caramel reaches 140˚C, to avoid the caramel from colouring further, put the base of the pan into cold water for a few seconds. Take care not to splash any water into the caramel.

• step 4

  Leave to rest but don’t let the caramel cool all the way through, as you will need to be able to dip the apples into it.

• step 5

  Tip the popping candy into a small bowl. Carefully dip the tip of each apple into the caramel to completely cover the flesh, and then dip the apples with the caramel into the popping candy.

• step 6

  Place the toffee apples onto the non-stick baking paper and leave them to harden before serving.