Apple crumble slice for Dad

Dad has relatively simple tastes when it comes to baked goods. Chocolate (no white chocolate), banana or apple cinnamon.

This apple crumble slice can be served hot or cold. It has a buttery biscuit base, apple and cinnamon filling, with a brown sugar and cinnamon crumble topping. It is definitely not a pretty slice - the topping making it a little messy to serve, but it smelt great baking in the oven.

Ingredients:

Apple filling
3 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornflour
4-5 tablespoons butter

Base
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter

Crumble topping
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup plain flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Melt butter in pan and add apples, stirring for two minutes. Add sugar, stir until dissolved. Add cinnamon and stir thoroughly, then add corn flour to thicken. Cook for a further five to seven minutes. You want to have the apples just cooked - not soft and mushy. Keep warm while you make the base. you want to add this to the base straight from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C. Grease and line a 20 x 20 cm cake pan. Cut the baking paper bigger than the baking pan so you have some overhang for easy removal of the slice after baking.

For the base, place the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and use an electric beater on low to mix until it resembles sandy crumbs. Use your hands if it's easier!


Tip the mixture into the baking pan and use your fingers to press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Pop in the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes, until golden brown at the edges. Watch closely after 15 minutes, but mine took closer to 20.

While the base is baking, get the crumble mixture ready. Mix butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. You want to pour the mixture onto the base while still warm from the oven, so have it ready! Spread apple evenly over base. Sprinkle the crumble on top.

Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until crumble is golden. Leave to cool before slicing.

Chocolate & strawberry jam crumble bar

I saw this on the blog Sugar crafter a week or so ago and was intrigued. I added a bit more vanilla, changed up the chocolate chips slightly and added less jam, other than that, the recipe is essentially the same. Also changed the pan as didn't have the same size as the one she used.

Now that I have made this, several variations come to mind that I would like to try.

* Replace chocolate/condensed milk with apple cinnamon filling

* Replace chocolate/condensed milk with caramel, add apple filling

* Replace jam with peanut butter

* Replace the crust with an Oreo or tim tam cookie crumb base

* Replace the crust with the Nestle toll house cookie dough

* Remove chocolate/condensed milk, keep jam, remove chocolate chips, add a strawberry icing. Wow. That brings back memories of a fabulous bar I used to eat all the time growing up in New Zealand.

Anyway.... here is the recipe for the Chocolate & strawberry jam crumble bar

Ingredients:
Base
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Filling
1 cup chocolate chunks
1 can (14 oz) condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup strawberry jam

Topping
1/3 of base mixture
1 cup chocolate chunks (I used Cadbury top deck)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 176 degrees C and grease and line a 20 x 20 cm square cake pan. I like to have the baking paper overhang (come up further than the top of the cake pan) so once baked, the bar is easy to remove from the pan without breaking.
The original recipe called for a larger pan, so I also greased and lined a 6 capacity cupcake pan. Turns out this was just right for the quantity of mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and vanilla until creamy. In a seperate bowl, sift in the flour and add the brown sugar. Mix to combine.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine. Remove 1/3 of the mixture and set aside to use for the crumble topping. With the remaining 2/3 of the dough, press 3/4 into the prepared pan, and the rest divide amongst the cupcake liners.

Place the cake pan and the cupcake pan into the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcake pan, and bake the cake pan for another 3-4 minutes, or until crust is a lovely light golden colour.

For the centre, place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. I started off by melting the chocolate in short bursts on medium in the microwave. Make sure you check on it and stir frequently - you don’t want to burn it! When chocolate was ¾ melted I added the condensed milk, and continued microwaving and stirring until fully melted and mixed. Add the vanilla bean paste, and stir to combine. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Spread jam over the cooled base (in cake and cupcake pans). Pour the chocolate mixture over the jam. Sprinkle remaining dough and top deck chocolate chunks over top of the cake pan and cupcakes.

Place cake pan and cupcake pan in oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove cupcake pan, and continue baking cake pan for a further 10 minutes. Let cool before attempting to slice - otherwise you will end up with a crumbly mess. Trust me. Slice, then eat.