I have several batches of toffee apple pie filling in the freezer, and I took one out yesterday and couldn’t make my mind up whether to make a pie, or a crumble. As I had some left over pastry, I decided to go for a pie … that was until I realised I only had enough dough for a base.

All was not lost, when I realised I could have the best of both worlds, and made a crumble topping. I blind baked my pastry shell, then added the filling and topped with a crumble mixture, before baking in a preheated oven at Gas mark 4  / 350F / 180C for 30-40 minutes

Crumble Topping:

• 150g plain flour
• 100g sugar
• 100g butter

1. cut the cold butter into cubes
2. place in a bowl with the sugar and flour
3. rub together with finger tips until a fine crumb is formed.

Toffee and apple are made for each other, and this easy to make filling can be made with any cooking or dessert apple, and can even be made in huge batches and then frozen in portion sizes for later use. Cover the edges of the pie towards the end of the cooking time if it looks like it is getting too brown. Eat hot with ice-cream or cream. Once cooled, you can cut into portion sizes and freeze individually so that you always have a quick dessert ready and waiting.

Toffee Apple Pie Filling

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Serves

2 9" pies

Ingredients

• 125g Unsalted Butter
• 50g Plain Flour
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 100g Dark Brown Sugar
• 700g Dessert Apple (peeled and diced)

Directions

1.	Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a moderate heat, and continue to cook until the butter starts to turn a golden brown
2.	Turn the heat down and stir in the flour to form a paste. The mixture will bubble and hiss furiously, so stir quickly to prevent burning
3.	Add the water, vanilla and sugar and stir in well and simmer until the sugar has fully melted
4.	Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue to cook until it starts to turn a rich golden caramel colour
5.	Reduce heat and add the chopped apples
6.	Leave to simmer for a few minutes until the apple begins to soften. You don't want to over cook as it will get cooked again in the pie
7.	Once cooled, you can fill your pie shell or crumble bowl. Alternatively, fill sealable freezer bags removing any remaining air, then store flat in the freezer until required