English Toffee Apples Recipe

Richard made some toffee apples last week. He uses www.videojug.com for many of his recipes. and that is where this one came from...

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English Toffee Apples Recipe
4 washed apples
225gms (8 oz) brown sugar
110 ml (4 fl oz) water
1 tsp vinegar
25 gms (0.9oz) butter
Food colouring (if desired)
4 Wooden skewers

Skewer apples to about half-way.
Place saucepan over high heat, add sugar and water. Dissolve sugar. When it boils add vinegar and butter and cook for 7 to 10 minutes
You can also add food colouring to make different coloured ones.
Check caramel is ready by dropping a drop into cold water - if it coagulates and hardens immediately it is ready.
Dip each apples and give generous coating, swirling around in the caramel.. Place on tray to cool.
Serve when cool and hard.

Cornflake Crunch

 

GB asked me for the Cornflake Crunch recipe recently and when I gave it to him I couldn’t say how much crushed cornflake to use. That didn’t matter because he knows it well enough to just add them “until it’s the right consistency”. That is hardly an adequate way of wording the recipe so I thought I’d make it yesterday and then put the ‘proper’ recipe on the blog. In the end I forgot to weigh the cornflakes!!!


Basically it is very simple -
Slowly heat 6oz of butter, 6 tablespoons syrup, 9 tablespoons sugar and ¼ pound of cooking chocolate. Crush a load of cornflakes. Add crushed cornflakes mix well and keep adding crushed cornflakes for as long as the mixture continues to colour and bind them.
Press the mixture evenly into greased flan dishes or baking tins depending upon whether you want square / oblong or triangular pieces. Cut the shapes while still warm. Leave for an hour to cool and serve.



As you can tell from the pictures the top one had less chocolate in it - which is my personal preference. Reducing the chocolate by about half does not seem to affect the binding and makes it less chocolatey (obviously) but also, in some people's opinion, more sickly. So the moral of this recipe is (like many others) - just add the basic ingredients in whatever proportions you want until you get a flavour and consistency you like.

Quick Shortbread Fingers

 


I found this recipe – in Bryony’s handwriting – among all the papers I’m sorting.

4 oz soft margarine
2 oz castor sugar
6 oz plain flour
castor sugar to sprinkle

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and knead well into a ball. Turn out onto a highly floured board. Cut into two. Roll out and trim into oblongs. Place on a greased baking tray or use greaseproof paper. Prick with a fork. Bake above the centre of a slow to very moderate oven (gas mark 2-3; 155°C) for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cut into fingers, sprinkle with some sugar. Allow to cool in the baking tray for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire tray.

I made this today with the simple variation of putting the two parts onto rounded baking trays and cut them into fans rather then fingers.

Nut Bread

 

This is one of my Mum’s recipes. The resulting ‘bread’ is very heavy and should be eaten in small quantities with plenty of butter.

2 cups white flour
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup sultanas
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2oz margarine or slightly softened butter
1 tbsp syrup
1 cup milk (or a wee drop more)

Rub fat into sifted flour. Add all other ingredients, milk and syrup last. Put in a greased 10"x7"x2" tin Bake in the middle of the oven - regulo 6 (200°) for 50mins.

The top has to be pretty well done for the inside to be cooked so it is worth testing it with a skewer. If the skewer emerges dry the inside is cooked, if it emerges with bits on it is not yet ready.

Date and Walnut Cake

Today’s recipe is an easy to make Date and Walnut Cake that is full of goodness. It can be served for tea or supper and is equally appropriate for a picnic or packed lunch.

Ingredients:-
4 oz (110g) soft margarine
6oz (175g) soft brown sugar
2 eggs - lightly beaten
4oz (110g) wholemeal flour
4oz (110g) plain flour
pinch of salt
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
4oz (110g) walnuts - roughly chopped
3oz (75g) pitted dates - roughly chopped
1 small baking apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
3 or 4 tablespoons milk

Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 4 (180 C; 350 F)
Butter a loaf tin 31/2 x 71/2 inch base (8.5 x 19cm)

Sift flour into large mixing bowl and add sugar, eggs, margarine, salt and baking powder. Whisk together with electric hand whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the apple, walnuts and dates. Finally add the milk and mix well. Transfer to the loaf tin and spread evenly. Bake for 1 hour or until the loaf feels springy in the centre and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool for a minute or two in the tin then take out and put onto a wire tray. When cold put in airtight tin.

Date and Walnut Cake

Today’s recipe is an easy to make Date and Walnut Cake that is full of goodness. It can be served for tea or supper and is equally appropriate for a picnic or packed lunch.

Ingredients:-
4 oz (110g) soft margarine
6oz (175g) soft brown sugar
2 eggs - lightly beaten
4oz (110g) wholemeal flour
4oz (110g) plain flour
pinch of salt
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
4oz (110g) walnuts - roughly chopped
3oz (75g) pitted dates - roughly chopped
1 small baking apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
3 or 4 tablespoons milk

Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 4 (180 C; 350 F)
Butter a loaf tin 31/2 x 71/2 inch base (8.5 x 19cm)

Sift flour into large mixing bowl and add sugar, eggs, margarine, salt and baking powder. Whisk together with electric hand whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the apple, walnuts and dates. Finally add the milk and mix well. Transfer to the loaf tin and spread evenly. Bake for 1 hour or until the loaf feels springy in the centre and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool for a minute or two in the tin then take out and put onto a wire tray. When cold put in airtight tin.

Apple Scones

It is time for the apples to be ripe on the trees in the back garden - in fact this year we have already had over five Pounds off the James Grieve. Here is a suggstion for using one up...

My last apple scone -

or to be more accurate (hopefully),

the last one I made.

Main Ingredients:
One medium cooking apple - shredded or finely chopped
8 oz (250g or two cups) self raising flour (all-purpose flour with baking powder)
½ teaspoon salt
Level teaspoon baking powder
2 oz (60g or ½ stick) butter
2 oz (60g or ¼ cup) castor sugar
Up to ¼ pint (150ml or half cup) milk

Ingredients for glaze:
A little milk
1oz demerara (light brown) sugar
Cinnamon

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F or Gas Mark 6).

Peel and core the apple and then finely chop. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Then rub in the butter followed by the sugar and finely chopped apple and mix. Add milk until you have a soft but not sticky dough.

Roll out on a floured surface to about ¼" thick and 8" round and mark into 8 wedges. Place on a greased baking sheet, brush the top with milk and sprinkle with the demerara (light brown) sugar and cinnamon.

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 200C (400F or Gas Mark 6) for around 20 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

Enjoy.

Recipe for Hash Browns

Hash Browns
There are many ways of cooking hash browns. This is not only one of the simplest but, of those I have tried, the one which yields the best results.
Ingredients:-
1 pound potatoes (about 2 large potatoes)
2 tablespoons oil, such as sunflower
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Scrub the potatoes. They do not need to be peeled. Grate with a shred-size grater. Heat a 12-inch frying pan, preferably non-stick, over a medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter. When hot, add the potatoes and push down with a spatula to spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper - be generous with the pepper. Fry until the bottom is browned and crispy (about 5 minutes). Do not try to flip until it is browned, or the potatoes might stick. Flip the potatoes, in sections if necessary, and fry another 5 minutes, or until browned and crispy on the other side. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200° F oven.