Nutty apple crumble

Apple crumble is one of those irresistible Autumn desserts in the UK. Warming both in temperature and taste (with a hint of cinnamon), it's the ultimate comfort food.

A fruit crumble that's too floury can be a little gluey in texture, and that is why I like to make mine with lots of nuts mixed in. It's crunchy and the flavour of the nuts complements the apples perfectly.

Ingredients for nutty apple crumble

For the nutty crumble:

125g flour

125g hazelnuts (roughly chopped)

100g brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch of salt

100g butter (cold and diced)

For the apple mixture:

3 medium Bramley apples (575g), peeled, cored and sliced 1cm thick

2 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 Tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

You can also add other fruit - blackberries or rhubarb are classic options.

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C (fan).

Make the crumble:

Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and 'crumble' it all up with two knives or a shortcrust pastry blender (you can also use a food processor if you have one of use your hands, but they must be cold as warm hands will melt the butter). Once it looks like an even mix of crumbs, you can add in the nuts. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

Make the apple mixture:

Combine all the ingredients for the apple mixture in a bowl and transfer it into an ovenproof dish (20cm square or round dish at least 5cm deep) and flatten it down.

Top it with the crumble mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream or custard.