Old Fashioned StickJaw Toffee

I made a discovery yesterday - if you have run out of patty pans OR if you are like me and loathe having to remove the paper from the outside of your stickjaw toffee's you can use Silicone Cupcake Pans.

You will still need to place them inside a patty cake tin to allow for shaping but otherwise you simply make, set and then remove the silicone case when you want to eat :)

WARNING - SUGAR SYRUP CAN BE DANGEROUS - PLEASE DO NOT HAVE LITTLE PPL ASSIST WITH THIS AND MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE WAY

Makes approx 12-20 (depending on size of pans you are using)

INGREDIENTS

3 cups sugar
250ml (1 cup) water
60ml (¼ cup) brown vinegar

liquid food colouring (optional)

METHOD

1. Place sugar, water and vinegar into saucepan, stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved; brush down sides of saucepan with brush dipped in hot water to remove any sugar from sides of pan.

2. Increase heat, boil rapidly uncovered for approximately 15 minutes or until a small amount, when dropped into cold water, will "crack." This gives a good, hard toffee. (If you prefer the "stick-jaw" or more stretchy toffee, boil for 10 to 12 minutes only or until a small amount, when dropped into cold water, forms a soft ball between the fingers.) Remove pan from heat while testing.

3. When toffee is ready, sitr in any food colouring you wish to add, remove from heat, stand saucepan in cold water 1 minute. Remove pan from water, and allow all the bubbles to subside.

4. For easier handling pour toffee into heatproof jug. Then, pour into paper patty cases/silicone cases. (To keep good shape while toffees set, stand the cases in patty cake tins) Leave 2 minutes before decorating with coconut or hundreds-and-thousands.

5. When set - simply unpeel your paper cases/silicone cases and enjoy :)

Now the hardest part of all of this - waiting for them to set - if you get REALLY impatient you can set them in the freezer - I *may* have been known to do this in the past :)