An Apple a Day... Keeps Your Freezer Full!

I may have mentioned this before, but I consider myself very lucky, I do tend to go on about it a little bit, because we lived in a tiny first floor flat on a main road for a long time, until we moved here, and this beautiful parkland is our front garden now. 

After five years I can't quite believe how fabulous it is. Running the gauntlet to get children safely in the car, the constant drone of traffic, hundreds of little mopeds buzzing up and down all night, like two wheeled hair dryers, all a thing of the past! So, please forgive my little indulgent digression, as this has little to do with the point of this post. Although there is a tenuous link, and that is the myriad of heavily laden apple trees that are still bearing fruit. I worry about the squirrels, you know. As  it gets windier, and the apples start falling, I don't want to wake up to a load of dead squirrels who have had an unfortunate encounter with gravity, Issac Newton style. So, I've picked a lot of apples. To save the squirrels. Only, it became apparent fairly quickly, that it's easy to get bored of apple pie. So I've had to think outside the box a bit. I thought I would post some of my most successful recipes, for anyone else who thinks windfalls are too good for squirrels, but can't face another pie! 

Apple Cake

This recipe can either make one large or about 12 small cakes. Perfect for lunch boxes!

100g Butter/Margarine

100g Sugar

170g Self-raising Flour

1       Egg

1tsp   Cinnamon

3-4    Cooking Apples

Cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg. Fold in the flour and cinnamon. Then, chop the apples and mix in thoroughly. Bake for 40 mins at 180C or for small cakes, bake for 20 mins at 180C. 

Apple Scone

This recipe is less sweet than traditional apple recipes, has a lovely crunchy topping and is easy to make. 

200g    SR Flour

50g      Caster Sugar

50g      Hard Margarine

25g      Demerara Sugar   

1 tsp    Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1          Medium Apple

Peel, core and finely chop apple. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Rub in butter, then add caster sugar and chopped apple. Mix to a soft, but not sticky dough with some milk. Place on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with demerara sugar .                                                                                           Bake in a moderate oven for 20-25 mins. 

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

I usually double the recipe for this one and make one big one, and a few small ones for the freezer!

TOPPING

300g Plain Flour, sieved.

200g Unsalted Butter

175g Unrefined Brown Sugar

Knob of Butter for greasing.

FILLING

300g Apples

150g Blackberries

50g   Unrefined Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Plain Flour

Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl and add the butter, roughly chopped. Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the chopped apples and blackberries to a large bowl and mix in the sugar and flour. Grease your dish or dishes and add the filling, followed by the topping, it should look something like this! >>> 

Bake in the oven at 180C for around 40 mins, until browned on top. 

Rubbing in the breadcrumbs is particularly appealing to little ones, if you do have any willing helpers!

For more easy recipes for busy families click the link!