Apple dumplings

Core firm, tart apples such as Bramleys or Granny Smiths, fill the centres with butter, sugar and cinnamon, then wrap each apple in shortcrust pastry and seal the joins. Bake at 190 °C for about 40–50 minutes, until the pastry is golden and a knife slips easily into the apple.

Choose firm apples that keep their shape during baking, such as Granny Smiths or Braeburns. Very soft, floury apples can collapse before the pastry is cooked through.

Yes. Assemble them, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then bake straight from the fridge; allow a few extra minutes and check that the apples are tender. For a crisper pastry, brush with egg just before baking.

Keep cooled dumplings covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat at 160 °C for 10–15 minutes so the pastry crisps again; a microwave warms them faster but makes the pastry soft.

Freeze them after baking and cooling, wrapped individually, for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat at 160 °C until hot throughout; the pastry may be less crisp than when freshly baked.

Serve them warm with cold custard, pouring cream or vanilla ice cream. Cinnamon, nutmeg or a little lemon zest in the filling brings out the apple’s flavour without making the pastry overly sweet.

No. An apple dumpling wraps pastry around a whole, cored apple, while an apple turnover encloses chopped apple filling in a folded pastry parcel. Turnovers are usually smaller and cook more quickly.