Apple Cake Drops

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Apples (good quality) (Originally '2 Ratal'.)
• 1 pound Granulated sugar (Originally '1 Ratal'.)
• 2 ounces Butter (Originally '1 Navtank' (approx 2 oz or 4 tablespoons).)
• 1 1/4 ounces Candied citron or orange peel, finely chopped (Originally '3 Tolas' (approx 35g). Use very finely chopped peel.)
• 1 lemon Lemon juice (Juice of 1 lemon.)
• 1 whole Nutmeg, grated (Use 1 whole grated nutmeg or approx 1-1.5 teaspoons ground.)
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil (salad oil) (For greasing the paper. Quantity estimated.)

Instructions

1. 1Peel the apples, cut them into quarters, and carefully remove the cores and seeds.
2. 2Place the prepared apples in a tinned vessel (or heavy-bottomed pot). Add the sugar, butter, chopped candied peel, lemon juice, and grated nutmeg. Cover the pot and place it over low heat (embers).
3. 3Cook slowly, uncovering occasionally to stir the mixture from bottom to top to prevent sticking. Once the apples are completely soft, remove from heat. Mash and whisk the mixture thoroughly until it is smooth and uniform.
4. 4Take sheets of clean white paper and grease them lightly with salad oil. Drop small, separate spoonfuls (drops) of the apple mixture onto the greased paper.
5. 5Place the papers in a cool oven (approx. 200°F / 95°C) and let them dry out until they become hard. Once hard, remove them from the oven.
6. 6Allow the drops to cool completely. Once cold, peel them off the paper and store them in airtight tin boxes.