While I was travelling, I discovered an amazing sweet shop in Queenstown, New Zealand called the Remarkable Sweet Shop where I tried the most amazing fudge ever – apple pie fudge. I’ve never been able to find apple fudge anywhere else, so I decided to make my own. This creamier coloured soft fudge contains pieces of caramelised apple, and is adapted from this recipe for crumbly butter tablet.

Ingredients

For the caramelised apple

• 2 sweet apples (I used Jazz apples), peeled cored and finely chopped
• 15g unsalted butter
• 2tbsp soft brown sugar
• 2tbsp apple juice (or you use high juice squash)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon + ½ tsp ground cinnamon for decoration

For the fudge

• 900g caster sugar
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 794g condensed milk (2x 397g Carnation tins)
• 80g unsalted butter
• 180ml water
• ½tsp ground cinnamon
• 2tbsp apple juice

Instructions

1. Make the caramelised apples by melting the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the apples. Once most of the butter has absorbed and nearly all the liquid has gone, sprinkle in the brown sugar and cinnamon and stir well. Watch for the juices to thicken and darken then remove from the heat. Leave to cool a little.
2. You’ll need a 9″x9″ square dish to put the fudge in. I used silicone as it was easier to remove the fudge, but if you’re using ceramic or metal, you’ll need to line your dish with greaseproof paper.
3. Make the fudge by melting the butter on low heat in a large saucepan, then turning up the heat to medium/high and adding the rest of the ingredients, stirring constantly. Bring to bring to the boil.
4. Turn the heat down to medium, but keep the mixture boiling, still stirring regularly for 20 minutes. The mixture will darken and thicken.
5. Take the pan off the heat and beat with an electric mixer for 4 minutes. Then add in the caramelised apples and beat for another 3 minutes.
6. Place mixture in your prepared dish and smooth over. Finish by sprinkling cinnamon over the top of the fudge. Place dish on a cooling rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes then slice up the fudge. Leave to cool for at least 3 hours.

These make a perfect bonfire treat, especially when served still warm. My mother always brings me these back from Belgium when she visits as she knows I love them so much. You should eat a handful of nuts and seeds every day, so this is just a tasty way of doing it. I’ll be making some more of these for my Christmas food hampers, wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon.

15mins – Prep time: 5mins – Cooking time: 10mins

Ingredients

• 150g pecan halves
• 150g cashews, unsalted
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Line a large frying pan with foil (this saves on washing up!)
2. Put the cinammon and the sugar in the pan and heat until it just starts to melt.
3. Add the pecans and cashews and stir to ensure even distribution. Cook until nuts have browned a little.
4. Remove foil with nuts from the pan and allow to cool a little. Then tip onto a plate to prevent the nuts sticking to the foil