Michelle Darmody: Toffee apples are great — branch out with more caramel recipes
Apples and toffee are a match made in heaven
Toffee and apples make a good pairing. The traditional toffee-dipped apple on a stick dates back to the 19th century. Even before this sticky treat was invented sweet coatings were used to preserve and embellish fruit. The toppings on the toffee apples vary as does the texture of the coating — in the US they tend to be red in colour. Today’s recipes do not call for red caramel but the sauces are all quite luscious and sweet. In fact, you can happily eat the buns or cake without the toffee sauce. There is no sugar in the bun recipe — just the sweetness of the apples.
When using apples in desserts such as these I tend to choose a firm crisp apple that is on the sour side. You can use cooking apples or Granny Smiths: there are also more exciting varieties available in some fruit and vegetable shops such as Gold Rush or York Imperial.
