Recipe: Toffee Apple Cookies

September brings the first flush of Autumn’s sweetness. Apples begin to soften on the branch and the air shifts just enough to make baking feel inviting again. These toffee apple cookies are pure comfort: a brown butter base scented with vanilla dotted with apple and fudge that melts into pockets of caramel in the oven.

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 75g unsalted butter

• 140g plain flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 100g soft brown sugar

• 35g caster sugar

• 2 tbsp milk

• 80g fudge pieces chopped

• 40g dried apple pieces chopped

Method

1. Brown the butter in a pan over a medium heat until it foams and small brown flecks appear. Set aside to cool slightly then stir in the milk and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms. Fold in the chopped apple and fudge pieces and knead lightly to distribute. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan and line two baking trays. Roll teaspoons of the dough into small balls and place them well spaced on the trays. Sprinkle with a little sea salt if you like. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes then leave the cookies to cool and firm up on the trays.

A Seasonal Note

These cookies sit beautifully in Mabon the Celtic season of ripening fruit gathering in and settling down. Apple offers its first true sweetness now while fudge brings a hint of indulgence as the evenings begin to draw in. A small warm bake to match the shift toward Autumn.