Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

As the weather changes, I find myself craving more comforting and warming foods. With the advent of cooler weather, we naturally crave heartier dishes. Leafy salads start to lose their appeal and soups become more attractive by the day.

Seasonal cooking allows us to appreciate ingredients at their peak. Autumn brings a bounty of apples, pumpkins, squash, and spices that warm the soul. These ingredients are as much about flavour as they are about comfort. 

Dessert is the finishing touch that turns an ordinary meal into an extraordinary one. With apples in season, it's the perfect time to incorporate them into your dessert repertoire. Whether baked, sautéed, or stewed, apples are wonderfully versatile and bring the essence of autumn to life with their sweet-tart balance.

An apple for every dessert

When it comes to apples, there are more than 2,500 varieties to choose from, each offering something unique to the dish. The tartness of Granny Smith apples is perfect for pies and tarts, while Golden Delicious and Cox offer sweetness that shines in cakes and caramelised creations. My favourite is Pink Lady as it is perfectly sweet and juicy. 

No matter your preference, there’s an apple for every kind of dessert. I was delighted when my neighbour brought me a variety that's a cross between a cooking and eating apple - crisp and tart enough to be part of a salad and not overly sweet for a dessert.

Apples aren’t just for pies; they’re perfect in crisps, crumbles, cakes, and even ice cream. Their natural sugars caramelise beautifully when exposed to heat, turning even a simple dish into a decadent delight.

Sticky toffee apple pudding with cognac salted apple caramel sauce

The first recipes that came to mind for an apple dessert were apple and blackberry compote or sauce, apple tart, apple fritters and apple crumble cake. After much thought, I decided to tweak my sticky toffee pudding. The result was a sticky toffee apple pudding with a cognac salted apple caramel sauce.

You can start with a basic sticky toffee pudding recipe and add the chopped apples before baking. For the sauce, I added caramelised apple purée, smoked sea salt and cognac for a delicious and well-rounded result.

Classic apple crisp

A classic apple crisp is like a warm hug on a cool day. It’s rustic, comforting and - best of all - easy to make. The buttery, crunchy crumb topping combined with soft, spiced apples makes it a crowd-pleaser every time.

I am not the biggest fan of stewed fruits, as there's not enough crunch for me. My preference, therefore, is for an apple crisp with oats, toasted coconut flakes and nuts over an apple crumble. This creates more of a streusel topping with minimal crunchy bits.

Ingredients

• 5-6 medium apples (Granny Smith)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup of chopped nuts and coconut flakes
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Method

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Peel, core, and slice the apples. Toss them in lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, ensuring they’re well-coated. Spread the apples evenly in a greased 9-inch baking dish.
• In a separate bowl, mix flour, oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the apples.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are bubbling.
• Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Yemi's verdict

As the seasons change, so should our approach to cooking. The cool, crisp air of autumn invites us to embrace warm, comforting flavours, and apples are at the heart of this transition.

Apple desserts are a sweet way to celebrate the transition to autumn and the abundance of seasonal produce it brings. So, as the leaves turn to beautiful hues and the chill sets in, make your kitchen a place of warmth, comfort and, of course, something delicious.