I’ll admit it here and now, I still like toffee apples, even at my age. It’s that sweetness mixed with the juicy apple. Now how could I turn that into toffee apple jam? You know me, everything can be made into jam in my book.
Fireworks night, bonfire night, Guy Fawkes! Whatever you want to call it, this is the night of bonfires and fireworks all over the UK. The sky will be alight with flashes of colour, stellar light shows and the sonic booms of over sized party poppers.
We always used to have a bonfire in the garden with my Dad lighting rockets in milk bottles and nailing a Catherine wheel to the wall, where it would sputter and flash, maybe go round a few times and putter out.
The bonfire would be accompanied by sausages (bangers) on rolls with tomato sauce and toffee apples made by Mum for afters.
The toffee apples were my favourite part. The crackly hard almost over-sweet toffee giving way to a juicy apple underneath.
I used to hover around the kitchen like a vulture waiting for those sweet candy apples to cool down and harden up.
Only to be shoo-ed out by Mum and told to wait till the fire was lit and time was right.
Patience has never been my strong suit.
Toffee Apple Jam
In the interests of Larder Love and my fondness for toffee apples I decided that I would transfer this sticky treat into a spreadable goodie that could be kept for later and trapped in a jar.
Yes, you got it, I decided to make it into Toffee Apple Jam!
Toffee apple jam ingredients
This was really just a case of getting together the components of the traditional toffee apple and then going the wrong way about making it. Oh and I added a wee dash of brandy, like you do!
Only 4 ingredients!
I used 750g of Bramley apples (sounds a lot but these guys are big and heavy)
the juice of a lemon
half a kilo of sugar
and 2 tablespoons of brandy.
Apples
You can use any apples you like to make this toffee apple jam. Windfall apples are great for this jam. I used cooking apples which are more bitter, just remember the sweeter the apples the sweeter the toffee apple jam!
How to make Toffee Apple Jam
You peel and core the apples, chop them up and toss them in a bowl with the lemon juice. Then set all this aside while you get on with the toffee bit.
Stir 250g of the sugar with 4 tablespoons of water in a heavy based pan on a low heat till you get it to melt and go golden.
Now toss in the apples and don’t panic when the caramel all clumps up and hardens, it will calm down and soften again when the heat gets going again!
By now the kitchen will be smelling amazing. There is something so comforting about this molten sugar toffee smell.
While we’re on the subject of the sugar now add the rest and stir until it has all dissolved.
Bring to the boil for 10-15 minutes till apples are completely soft. Remove from heat and press it all through a sieve with a wooden spoon – be careful as this stuff is HOT!
Return to the pan and boil again for 1 minute and remove from heat before you stir in the brandy. You’re nearly there now.
I know this seems a bit of a faff but I promise you this toffee apple jam is so worth it. Ladle into sterilised jars and pop on a lid, leave overnight before tasting to let the flavours really develop.
New to preserving? Then don’t panic, I can take you from zero to hero in no time at all.
Just check out these handy articles to get you heading in the right direction fast;
How to make great jam and marmalade
How to make chutney and relish
How to sterilise jars and bottles
How long will this jam keep?
It will keep for up to a year unopened. Once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.
Serving suggestions
Oh, come on, you don’t need my help on this one.
Serve your toffee apple jam on toast, scones, crumpets or over ice-cream – yum!
You can even serve this toffee apple jam as part of a cheeseboard too.
I loved making this fun jam. It took me back to my childhood. I love making kid stuff we used to love into something more in keeping with our adult selves. Hence my toffee apple jam. It’s just a slightly more grown up version of the real thing.
Happy Bonfire Night!
Looking for some other fun recipes for this time of year? Then check these out;
Turnip/swede jam for Halloween
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Toffee Apple Jam
Ingredients
- 750 g apples Cooking apples
- 1 lemon juice only
- 500 g sugar
- 2 tbsp brandy
Instructions
- Peel and core apples and chop, toss in a bowl with lemon juice and set aside.
- Stir 250g (8oz) sugar with 4 tablespoons water in heavy based pan till golden.
- Add apples and remaining sugar and stir on low heat to dissolve.
- Boil 10-15 mins to soften apples and thicken.
- Press through sieve with wooden spoon.
- Return to pan and boil 1 more minute.
- Remove from heat and add brandy.
- Ladle into sterilised jars and pop on the lids. Leave overnight to let flavours develop.
Oh wow, that sounds perfect, I’ll have to give this a go 🙂
you’ll love this Sue, just don’t panic when the sugar all bunches up when you add the apples, keep stirring!
K x
I tried your recipe as written and my results is a tasty apple sauce. I could not get a toffee but I did get a candy apple consistency. I don’t know what happened but I won’t give up on the recipe.
Hi Hilda
Sorry to hear recipe being a bit problematic for you. It should go to a jam consistency not toffee. Don’t give up.
K
How long does the jam keep?
Hi Mike
I’m a bit confused by your question as I tell you in the post that the jam keeps for up to a year. It really is well worth making.
K
What type of sugar is best to use?
any will do
I found you on Punk Domestics where I also contribute. This recipe sounds great. I like the jars in the pictures you used for the jam. Where did you get them (if I may ask)?
Hi Jannine
This was a recycled jar, think from some sort of Italian contents. I am such a sucker for good jars I’ll buy them just to find something pretty and different for my own preserves.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Kx
How long can this be stored? I’m wanting to make it as a gift for Christmas x
Hi Jessica
No problems re keeping for Christmas, it will keep up to 4 months usually.
K x
Mine did not thicken to jam consistency or clarity as your photos show but it did make for an incredibly lush apple sauce. I did not have brandy on hand so omitted; surely this can’t be why I didn’t get jam?
maybe try cooking for longer next time. All fruit is different and mine came together in this time frame, it is all trial and error when cooking, especially with fruit.
K x
Mine also came out cloudy and sauce like. Apples were cooked well and passed through a sieve easily. I also didn’t have brandy – would this make a difference?
Don’t quite know what went wrong for you. I always put in the booze.
K x
Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me how much jam this recipe yields. I Think I may need to double to recipe as I’m making gifts for christmas hampers and this looks just the job!
Many thanks,
Jody
Think I got about 2 medium jars from this recipe.
K x
I made this last fall & will make it again this fall. In the last week, I’ve sent 2 people to this recipe & will continue to do so. It’s one of my favourite recipes to make with apples now! I double or triple the batch & can it! Yummy!
Thanks so much for this lovely comment, I’m thrilled that you like my recipe so much and have been sharing it as well as using it yourself.
Kx
I made this yesterday using rather tart crab apples but as I didn’t have brandy, added some cinnamon and spice to add flavour.
Delighted with the results! It’s set perfectly and is a beautiful spread. No trace of sour!
Thank you so much!!
Hi Janine
Love the sound of crab apples with cinnamon and spice. So glad you liked my recipe.
K x
Hi there
Just found your recipe – do you use jam sugar for this?
You can use normal granulated sugar as lots of pectin already in the apples.
K x
Hi Karen, Can you make this with eaters. Our Cox’s apple tree has produced loads this year and I would like to use them in preserves as well as eating and juicing.
Thanks
Julie
Yes go for it, use any apples you like.
K x
Your photography and presentation for this recipe are JUST… seductive, lol!
Seriously, I could not (and frankly did not want to) resist using my last batch of windfalls to make this today.
Toffee apples have always been an aspirational taste for me – I never liked the actual product as such – there always seemed to be too much plain (and often not very ripe) apple and nowhere near enough toffee for my taste, but I am a sugar hog at heart!
So I’m hoping that this recipe will right some wrongs and produce the taste I have in my mind as “toffee apple: 😉
Hope you like the jam and thanks for nice comments on my photography
Kx
Hope you made the jam and enjoyed it
K x
Does your jam get the crackly bits back since you said it would soften and pass thru the sieve? I’m curious how to get the crackly bits back before I make it. I want to know how it should turn out. Your pic definitely shows it? Thanks so much!!
I’m a bit confused there are no crackly bits in this jam
Will rum work instead of the brandy as I don’t have any? Or should I just leave out the alcohol altogether??
Hi Louise
Yes rum would work just as well. Hope you enjoy it.
K x
a tasty way to use up some of my apples. Mine is too hot to try yet but looks great. Had a bit of a problem making toffee, first attempt I stirred and it went back to grains , second time I could not get it to change co lour
Must also be honest and tell you I put the chopped apple lemon and half sugar in bowel together while making toffee. also did not sieve but but used a hand blender
Hope you like it when cools down
K
I made this and at the crucial moment – I actually had the brandy-bottle in my hand – thought “hang on, isn’t there some Calvados at the back of the cupboard?” There was :-)) Can’t say it’s better as I haven’t made the brandy version to compare, but it was utterly lovely. i’m now wondering about the other things that go so well with apples – Creme de Cassis comes to mind, a sort of apple & blackberry version . . .
Hi Gavin
Calvados would be a great addition to my toffee apple jam recipe. I just use what I have to hand in my kitchen. Yes, I think blackcurrants and apple would be a good combo for a liqueur. I do my blackberry and apple gin every year and that’s always a hit.
K
I made this at the weekend, having had an excess of apples recently. Two questions – firstly what sort of heat should this be at step 2? I went for a medium heat. Secondly are the crushed apples of any use, or just put them in the food recycling?
Hi Dan
Medium heat and you can use the apple pulp in a tart or just with ice-cream as a dessert
K
Hi Karon
I’ve got a load of foraged apples I’m going to try this with, but a lot of them are pretty small. I’m trying to figure out the weight I’ll need, as I’m thinking that the ratio of core to flesh will be more equal than with cooking apples, so I’ll need more than 750g of the unpeeled, uncored apples. Do you have any advice or thoughts on how much apple is needed after peeling/coring? Does 700g sound about right?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Carolyn
Never having tried this with small apples, I’d say that about 720g should be about right to be on the safe side. hope you like the jam.
K
Sounds wicked, I must try this
Hi Heather
Hope you’ll try this one
K
Love this recipe! Can’t wait to make it.
What non-alcoholic drink/liquid can be used instead of Brandy?
Thank you
(I emailed you before I saw the comment section)
Hi Jane
You would just have to omit the brandy if you don’t want alcohol in the jam. Or maybe use one of those flavoured syrups instead that contain no actual alcohol just the taste.
K