Traditional Toffee Recipes for Halloween - Cinder Toffee, Toffee Apples and English Treacle Toffee

Traditional English Cinder Toffee

Cinder Toffee (known by various other names, Sponge Toffee, Honeycomb Toffee, Hokey Pokey) is made with a combination of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. The reaction between these two ingredients creates a hard, crunchy froth of toffee, light, golden and delicious.

It is best made with Lyles Golden Syrup. If Lyles is not available in your area, it can be obtained from Amazon. Some recipes use corn syrup, which is acceptable, but for the traditional English toffee Golden Syrup gives the best results.

Safety: Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda react by frothing up the sides of the pan, so make sure you use a large pan to allow for this. It also gets very hot. Be aware of safety issues with small children around.

Ingredients:

• 50 g/2 oz butter
• 300 ml/½ pint water
• 4 teaspoons malt vinegar
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup
• 450 g/1 lb granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Method:

1. Grease an 11” x 7” baking tin.
2. Heat the butter, water and vinegar in a large saucepan until the butter has dissolved.
3. Stir in the sugar and Golden Syrup until they too have dissolved.
4. Bring to the boil, but without stirring until the mixture reaches the Hard Crack stage. (With Thermometer: temperature will be 300°F, 150°C. Without Thermometer: To test, remove the pan from the heat and drop a teaspoon of mixture into a cup of cold water. When you remove from the water and feel between finger and thumb it is brittle.)
5. With the toffee mixture removed from the heat, carefully stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Be careful! The mixture will froth up.
6. Stir until the bubbles have subsided a little.
7. Pour into the greased tin.
8. Allow to completely cool then break the toffee into pieces.

Use a large, heavy-based pan, a large greased baking tin and you will also need some wooden lolly sticks.

Ingredients:

• 12 Small eating apples
• 450 g/1 lb brown sugar
• 50 g/2 oz butter
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 150 ml/¼ pint water

Method:

1. Wash and dry the apples
2. Push a lolly stick into each stalk end
3. Put all remaining ingredients into a large pan
4. Stir over a gentle heat until sugar is dissolved.
5. Boil rapidly for about 5 minutes, stirring a little.
6. Test for the Hard Ball stage (With Thermometer: 265°F, 130°C. Without Thermometer: To test, remove the pan from the heat and drop a teaspoon of mixture into a cup of cold water. When you remove from the water and feel between fingers and thumb it feels like hard ball but is still chewy)
7. Keep boiling until this stage is reached
8. Remove pan from heat and very quickly dip the apples in the mixture.
9. Swirl them around in the toffee for a few seconds, shake off the surplus and place on the greased baking tin to set.
10. If the toffee should start to set in the pan, heat it again gently.

For a nice variation substitute half the treacle with honey.

Makes approx. 900 g/2 lb

You will need a well-greased tin 23 cm/9 inches square which gives pieces approximately 1 cm/½ inch thick

Ingredients:

• 450 g/1 lb Barbados sugar
• 450 g/1 lb black treacle or molasses
• 2½ tablespoons cider vinegar
• 125 g/4 oz butter in thin pieces

Method:

1. Put sugar, treacle or molasses and vinegar in a large saucepan
2. Stir over a low heat until sugar is completely dissolved
3. Very slowly bring mixture to boiling point.
4. Keep it boiling for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Very carefully and slowly stir in the butter, one piece at a time
6. Continue to boil until temperature reaches Soft Crack stage (With Thermometer: 284°F, 142°C. Without Thermometer: To test, remove the pan from the heat and drop a teaspoon of mixture into a cup of cold water. When you remove from the water and feel between finger and thumb it is hard but not brittle.)
7. Remove from heat and let it settle for a minute
8. Pour carefully into greased tin.
9. Allow to cool, then mark into squares
10. When cold, break into pieces
11. Store in waxed paper or an air-tight container

Happy Halloween!