Mini Green Toffee Apples.. Let St. Patricks Day Celebrations begin!

I bet you are wondering.. Who is this bloody St. Patrick anyways!? Well after some more google-ing it has reveled, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling...

So I have to ask the question.. If he apparently didn't banish all if the snakes of Ireland.. Why is he even famous? I think it is giving us bloggers an excuse to bake :p

So here is the 1st of 3 installments for a St. Patrick's day celebration.. Expect more lucky green :D

Mini Green Toffee Apples.
Sourced from www.taste.com.au

Makes 15

Equipment

You'll need 15 wooden chopsticks or paddle pop sticks for this recipe. I stole mine from Hanaichi as they were the round Japanese style chopsticks.

Ingredients

• 8-10 small Red Delicious or Pink Lady apples, washed, dried
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons green liquid food colouring

Method

• Push a stick into each apple. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  

• Place sugar and water into a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring. Bring to the boil. Using a wet pastry brush, brush away sugar crystals on sides of saucepan above syrup.

• Stir in cream of tartar and food colouring.

• Reduce heat to low. Simmer toffee for 20 minutes or until it reaches hard crack stage. To check if it has reached this stage, add 1 teaspoon of toffee to a glass of ice-cold water. Remove solidified toffee from water and bend it. The toffee should crack easily and not feel sticky. Once toffee is at this stage, remove from heat immediately.

• Wait until toffee stops bubbling then dip 1 apple into toffee. Tip pan on an angle to coat apple in toffee, especially around stick.
  

• Place onto prepared baking tray. Repeat with remaining apples. Allow to set at room temperature.
  

Please let me know how yours turn out, as I can't enjoy mine as I have braces :(