Apples are amongst the most versatile fruit to cook with and depending on your palette, they also provide a range of tastes, notes and textures. This recipe is so much fun for you to try with the kids, just don’t be too precious about a flour filled kitchen when it comes to the crumble.

 

So today we cooked up a fantastic apple crumble. We went the unorthodox route and used Golden Delicious apples – simply because we had an abundance of them in the house. So this was the recipe that we used from the Good Food Website.

For the filling

• 6 Granny Smith Apple or Bramble Apples – peeled, cored and sliced to 1cm thick
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar (we used granulated sugar)
• Cinammon
• I love to add a handful of sultanas

For the crumble

• 175g plain flour
• 110g golden caster sugar (again we used granulated)
• 110g cold butter

For the topping (optional)

• 1 tbsp rolled oats
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

Serve with

• Double cream, clotted cream or custard

Right the first thing that needed sorting was who was doing what! With twins, things take a billion times longer and I get frustrated! So I peeled the apples and then called them in to be a part of the proceedings. So Hannah started on the crumble after Tamir refused, who then changed his mind once he realised that it would be the more “fun job”! He soon calmed down once he realised that it he could swap over. The other thing worth noting is that Hannah likes the whole apple crumble. Tam likes just the crumble, so we had to use to separate dishes to satisfy both palates. I also have to point out that we put a touch of vanilla and a sprinkle of allspice in the apples because they are naturally sweet but Golden Delicious apples sometimes need a lift.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170 fan/gas 5. Toss the apples with the 2 tbsp sugar and put in a 23cm round baking dish at least 5cm deep, or a 20cm square dish. Flatten down with your hand to prevent too much crumble falling through.
2. Put the flour and 110g sugar in a bowl with a good pinch of salt, slice in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like moist breadcrumbs. Shake the bowl and any big bits will come to the surface – rub them in. Alternatively, pulse in a processor until sandy (don’t over-process).
3. Pour the crumb mix over the apples to form a pile in the centre, then use a fork to even out. Gently press the surface with the back of the fork so the crumble holds together and goes crisp, then lightly drag the fork over the top for a decorative finish. Sprinkle the oats and demerara over evenly, if you wish.
4. Set on a baking tray and put in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the apples feel very soft when you insert a small, sharp knife. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.