Crumble with extra crunch

Apple crumble

Serves 6

2 large Bramley apples, washed, peeled, cored and chopped into 2 cm chunks

3 eating apples, washed, peeled, cored and chopped into 2 cm chunks

1 knob butter

1 teasp cinnamon

100g demerara sugar

crumble topping

200g plain flour

1 teasp cinnamon

150g cold butter, cut into small cubes

50g rolled oats

75g demerara sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

2. Heat a large pan and melt the butter. Add the chopped apples into a pan with the cinnamon, sir well and cook gently for 3-5 minutes. Add the sugar, stir and cook gently for a further 5-10 minutes with lid askew, until the apples start to soften.

3. Transfer the apple mixture to a shallow ovenproof pie dish.

4. To make the crumble topping, put the flour and cinnamon into a bowl and mix well, then rub in the cold butter, using your fingertips, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Alternatively, blend the flour and butter in a food processor for a few seconds. Stir in the demerara sugar and porridge oats.

5. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the cooked apples in the pie dish. Transfer immediately to the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden brown on top.

6. Serve warm with ice-cream or custard.

Cooks’ tips: Try adding a punnet of blackberries to the cooked apples. Try sprinkling droplets of cold water over the crumble topping before placing in the oven. This creates extra crunch to the crumble.