Bonfire Night recipe book

by Alon modai

Artwork: Alon Modai

Joined Nov 2024
Published Books 1

Homemade toffee apples

8 apples
400g golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vinegar
4 teaspoons of golden syrup

How to make:

Step 1

Place the apples in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water (you may have to do this in 2 batches). This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.

Step 2

Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 150C or ‘hard crack’ stage. If you don’t have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.

Step 3

Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. Can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in a dry place.

Bonfire Night cookies

75g unsalted butter
softened
100g caster sugar
1 large egg
250g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
sifted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

For the icing

1 large egg white
250g icing sugar
sifted
½ teaspoons of lemon juice
gel food colourings
star sprinkles
(optional)

How to make:

Step 1

Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk for 4-5 mins until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and ginger, and continue to beat until the mixture comes together into a dough. Put the dough between two pieces of baking parchment and roll out to a 6mm thickness using a rolling pin.

Step 2

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove the top layer of parchment and cut out cookies using a 6cm round or star cutter. Re-roll the offcuts and continue to cut out cookies until all the dough has been used (you should get 20-22, depending on the cutter).

Step 3

Arrange the cookies on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment, spacing them at least 2cm apart (you may need two baking sheets). Bake for 7-10 mins until slightly golden at the edges. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4

Once cool, make the icing. Beat the egg white with an electric whisk until just starting to froth up, about 1 min. Add the icing sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking continuously at a medium-high speed until combined. Add the lemon juice and whisk to stiff peaks, about 5 mins – the icing should be shiny. Add more icing sugar if needed to help it stiffen up.

Step 5

To decorate, divide the icing into bowls and colour with the gel food colourings (we left some icing white, then coloured three bowls with blue, yellow and red). Spoon the coloured icing into separate piping bags fitted with small round nozzles (or snip off the ends). Pipe lines on the biscuits to create firework-like ‘burst’ patterns or swirls. While the icing is wet, decorate with star sprinkles, if you like. Leave to set slightly, then serve. Will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Hot buttered rum

1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
100ml dark rum
2 tbsp unsalted butter
melted
2 cinnamon sticks
to serve

How to make:

Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl, then gradually pour in the rum and melted butter, and stir together. Evenly divide the mixture between two small heatproof glasses. Top each with 100ml boiling water and stir well. Serve with a cinnamon stick to garnish.

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