Golden Apple

Golden Apples are moderately difficult to obtain, but are the most beneficial Food item. They are extremely rarely found in Dungeon and Stronghold chests, though they can also be obtained by crafting a Red Apple and eight Gold Nuggets together. Eating one not only restores, but grants "enhanced regeneration" for 5 seconds, healing up to health over that time. They can be eaten for the regeneration even if you are full. When fed to Zombie Villagers under the effects of a Potion of Weakness, they will eventually be cured.

Golden apples were formerly far rarer and more powerful. After 1.1, they became more common, cheaper, and less powerful. However, 1.3 introduced an Enchanted Golden Apple, even more powerful than the original. Up to 1.2.5, when in the Player's inventory, Golden Apples shine purple, much like enchanted tools and armor. As of 1.3, only Enchanted Golden Apples will shine like this. These cannot be used to cure Zombie Villagers.

Crafting
Normal Golden Apple: Enchanted Golden Apple:

Advantages

 * They are the only food items that cause temporary constant health regeneration that is not dependent on the player's hunger. This is indicated by the line of hearts bobbing up and down in a wave pattern, with each full wave restoring half a heart.
 * Compared with potions of regeneration, golden apples are available for fighting monsters before the player is able to brew or even go to the Nether in single player mode. (Brewing requires Blaze Rods and Nether Wart, both found only in the Nether.)
 * Golden apples also are stackable up to 64 (like other food), whereas potions take up an inventory space for each potion.
 * Golden apples are the only food that can be eaten when the player has a full hunger meter.
 * Although red apples have a low chance of dropping from oak leaves (0.5% per leaf block), tree farming can produce a good supply of them.
 * Golden apples are technically renewable, but see below.
 * Golden apples can be used to create a village by curing zombie villagers. If Generated Structures are turned off, this is the only way to have villagers and trade with them.

Disadvantages

 * Golden apples have an extremely slim chance of appearing in dungeon chests: 0.7%.
 * Golden apples are technically renewable (for advanced players), because the gold they require can be "harvested" by attacking zombie pigmen. In practice, they will require mined (non-renewable) gold.  There are 9 golden nuggets in one golden ingot, and 9 ingots in one block of gold.  Therefore, it will take most of one ingot to make a normal golden apple, but it will take 72 ingots (648 nuggets) to make an enchanted one.

Trivia

 * Due to this item previously being able to heal the player a large amount, they are commonly found as rewards in custom adventure maps made prior to version.
 * However, a similar version of the previous Golden Apple was reintroduced in Snapshot 12w21a and Minecraft 1.3 as a separate item. This version has more features than the original Golden Apple.
 * Golden Apples can also be found in the Xbox 360 Edition, although they are very rare and only can be found in dungeons.
 * Enchanted Golden Apples provide the highest level potion effect thus far: Regeneration IV. The healing speed is enough to outrace nearly any source of damage short of creeper blasts.