Apple Pie Rolls are £6.50 for five on our dessert list, and Pineapple Pie Rolls sit right next to them at the same price. Crisp golden pastry rolls filled with spiced fruit, served with warm custard. They are essentially apple pie in a form you can eat with your fingers, and they are considerably easier to make than a pie.
The filling is Bramley apples cooked down with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon until they are soft but still holding some shape, then thickened with a little cornflour. That cornflour is the detail that matters: a wet filling will steam the pastry from the inside and burst the roll.
Makes ten rolls in about 50 minutes, and they freeze raw, which means you can fry two on a Wednesday without making the whole batch again.
Why this recipe works
- Bramley apples, cooked briefly. Bramleys collapse into a sauce if you cook them too long. Eight to ten minutes gives you soft pieces that still have edges, which is what you want inside a roll.
- Cornflour in the filling. One teaspoon slaked in cold water thickens the juices so nothing runs out during rolling or frying. This single step is the difference between neat rolls and a pan full of caramel.
- The filling is cooled completely. Warm filling produces steam, steam softens pastry, and soft pastry splits in oil.
- Spring roll wrappers rather than filo. Stronger, stretchier and they fry to a smooth blistered crisp. Filo flakes apart and leaks.
- Cinnamon sugar on the outside while hot. Sugar only sticks in the first thirty seconds out of the oil. After that it falls straight off.
- Warm custard served separately. Poured at the table so the pastry is still crisp when it reaches you.
Ingredient notes
Bramley apples. The British cooking apple, and the right choice here because they are sharp enough to balance the sugar. Two large ones is about 500g peeled. Braeburn or Granny Smith will work but are sweeter and firmer, so cook them a couple of minutes longer and cut the sugar back.
Light brown soft sugar. Gives a slight caramel note that white sugar does not. Dark brown sugar works but can dominate.
Ground cinnamon. A full teaspoon. This is not a dish for a shy amount of cinnamon. A pinch of ground nutmeg and a pinch of mixed spice alongside it is worth doing.
Lemon juice. Two teaspoons. It stops the apple browning while it cools and keeps the filling tasting like fruit rather than just sweet.
Spring roll wrappers. Frozen, from the freezer aisle of an Asian supermarket, in packs of 20 or 25. Defrost in the fridge and keep the stack under a damp tea towel while you work.
Custard. Fresh custard from the chilled aisle is what most people will use and it is perfectly good. A proper crème anglaise takes fifteen minutes and there is a method in the recipe notes.
Substitutions and variations
Pineapple Pie Rolls. Our other version. Use 500g of fresh or drained tinned pineapple, chopped small, cooked with the butter and sugar for five to six minutes with a pinch of ground ginger instead of the cinnamon. Pineapple holds much more water, so use two teaspoons of cornflour rather than one.
Apple and blackberry. Add 100g of blackberries in the last two minutes of cooking. Very British, and the colour is excellent.
Add sultanas. Fifty grams, soaked in hot water for ten minutes first so they do not draw moisture out of the filling.
Air fryer. Brush the rolls generously with oil and air fry at 190°C for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Less blistered than frying but a good weeknight version.
Serve with cream or ice cream. Warm custard is how we plate them, but vanilla ice cream against a hot roll is arguably better.
Make them small. Halve the wrappers for twenty small rolls, ideal for a party. Fry for two minutes.
Step-by-step guidance
The full method is in the recipe card below. Four things decide the result.
Cooking the apple. Melt the butter, add the apple, sugar, cinnamon and lemon and cook over a medium heat for eight to ten minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the pieces soft enough to give under a spoon but still recognisable as pieces. Then stir in the slaked cornflour and cook for one more minute until the juices thicken and turn glossy. Take it off the heat and spread it on a plate to cool — a bowl holds the heat for far too long.
Rolling. Lay a wrapper as a diamond. Two tablespoons of cold filling in a line across the lower third, no more. Fold the bottom corner up, fold both sides in tightly, then roll upwards firmly and seal the last corner with flour paste. Firm is the key word — a loose roll traps air and air expands in hot oil.
Frying. Oil at 175°C. Four at a time, seam side down first, for two and a half to three minutes, turning once, until golden and blistered all over. Drain on a wire rack, never on kitchen paper on a plate.
Coating and serving. Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon on a plate and roll each hot roll through it within thirty seconds of coming out of the oil. Warm the custard gently, stirring, until hot but not boiling, and pour it at the table.
Professional tips
- Chop the apple small — about 1cm dice. Large pieces tear the pastry as you roll.
- Cook the filling the day before if you can. Fully cold filling makes rolling much easier.
- Roll them all before the oil goes on the hob. Frying needs your attention.
- Rest the rolls seam side down for five minutes so the flour paste sets properly.
- Do not overfill. Two tablespoons feels mean and is exactly right.
- Never let custard boil. Just below a simmer, stirring, or it will split.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Solution | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filling leaked into the oil | Overfilled, filling too wet, or seam not sealed | Lift out immediately and skim the oil | Two tablespoons, cornflour in the filling, flour paste on the seam |
| Rolls burst open | Rolled loosely, leaving air pockets | Nothing to do once split | Roll firmly and rest seam side down |
| Filling is a runny sauce | Apple overcooked, or cornflour left out | Return to the pan with a teaspoon of slaked cornflour | Cook for 8 to 10 minutes only and always thicken |
| Pastry cracked while rolling | Wrappers dried out | Patch with a second wrapper and flour paste | Keep the stack under a damp tea towel |
| Pastry pale and chewy | Oil below temperature | Return to 175°C oil for a minute | Use a thermometer and fry four at a time |
| Sugar will not stick | Rolls had cooled too much | Brush lightly with melted butter, then roll in sugar | Coat within 30 seconds of leaving the oil |
| Custard split | Boiled | Blitz briefly with a stick blender | Warm gently, stirring, and never boil |
What to serve with it
Warm custard is the house pairing and the reason they are on the menu that way. Vanilla ice cream, clotted cream or crème fraîche are all good, and crème fraîche in particular cuts through the sugar.
They are a natural end to almost any meal from our menu. After something heavy like sausage and cheesy mash you may want just two rather than five. If you would rather something cooler and fruitier, our mango and sticky rice Dream Rolls use the same wrapper and frying method with a completely different filling. More in our dessert recipes.
Storage and reheating
Fried rolls are at their best within five minutes and still good for about twenty. After that the pastry softens.
Cool any leftovers quickly, refrigerate within two hours and eat within 24 hours, in line with standard UK food safety guidance. Reheat in an oven or air fryer at 190°C for six to eight minutes. Never microwave them.
The best plan is to freeze them raw. Roll them, open-freeze on a lined tray for two hours, then bag. Fry from frozen at 170°C for four to five minutes. They keep for two months.
The cooked apple filling keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days, and freezes for up to three months. It is also very good stirred into porridge or spooned over yoghurt, so a double batch is never wasted.
Custard should be reheated gently and never boiled, and should not be reheated more than once.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use filo pastry instead?
You can, but the result is different — flakier, more fragile and more likely to leak. Use three layers brushed with melted butter if that is all you have. Spring roll wrappers are stronger and easier.
Can I bake them?
An air fryer at 190°C for 10 to 12 minutes with a generous brushing of oil is much closer to fried than an oven. A conventional oven tends to dry the pastry rather than crisp it.
Which apples are best?
Bramleys, because they are sharp and break down predictably. Braeburn and Granny Smith work but are sweeter and firmer, so cook them slightly longer and reduce the sugar.
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes, and you should. It keeps for three days in the fridge and cold filling is much easier to roll with.
How do I make the pineapple version?
Use 500g of chopped pineapple, fresh or drained from a tin, with ground ginger instead of cinnamon and two teaspoons of cornflour rather than one, because pineapple holds far more water.
How many rolls per person?
Five is the portion we serve, which is generous. Three is plenty after a main course.
What do I do with the used oil?
Cool it completely, strain it back into a bottle and reuse it once or twice. Take it to a household recycling centre when you have finished with it, and never pour it down the sink.
PrintApple Pie Rolls with Warm Custard
- Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield10 rolls 1x
Spiced Bramley apple filling rolled in spring roll pastry and fried until golden and blistered, tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with warm custard. Apple pie you can eat with your fingers.
Ingredients
For the spiced apple filling
- 2 large Bramley apples, about 500g peeled, cored and cut into 1cm dice
- 25g salted butter
- 75g light brown soft sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- A pinch of mixed spice
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cornflour, slaked in 1 tbsp cold water
For the rolls
- 10 spring roll wrappers, defrosted
- 2 tsp plain flour mixed with 2 tsp cold water, to seal
- 1.5 litres sunflower oil, for deep frying
For the cinnamon sugar
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
To serve
- 500ml fresh custard, warmed
Instructions
Make the filling
- Melt the butter in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the diced apple, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and lemon juice.
- Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple is soft enough to give under a spoon but still holding its shape as pieces.
- Stir in the slaked cornflour and cook for 1 minute more, until the juices thicken and turn glossy. This is what stops the filling leaking later.
- Spread the filling on a plate and leave to cool completely — a plate cools far faster than a bowl. It must be cold before you roll.
Roll
- Keep the stack of wrappers under a damp tea towel while you work, as they dry out and crack within minutes.
- Lay a wrapper as a diamond. Spoon 2 tbsp of cold filling in a line across the lower third — no more, however mean it looks.
- Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold both sides in tightly, then roll upwards firmly. Brush the last corner with flour paste and press to seal.
- Rest the rolls seam side down for 5 minutes so the paste sets.
Fry and serve
- Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon on a plate. Warm the custard gently in a pan, stirring, until hot but not boiling.
- Heat the oil to 175°C in a deep pan no more than a third full. Fry four rolls at a time, seam side down first, for 2 minutes 30 seconds to 3 minutes, turning, until golden and blistered.
- Drain on a wire rack for a few seconds, then roll each one through the cinnamon sugar while still hot — within about 30 seconds, or the sugar will not stick.
- Serve within five minutes, with the warm custard poured over at the table.
Notes
The cornflour is not optional. One teaspoon slaked in cold water thickens the apple juices so nothing runs out during rolling or frying. Without it you will end up with a pan of caramel.
Cool the filling completely. Warm filling creates steam, steam softens pastry, and soft pastry splits in hot oil. Spread it on a plate to speed things up, or make it the day before.
Pineapple Pie Rolls. Use 500g of chopped fresh or drained tinned pineapple, cooked with the butter and sugar for 5 to 6 minutes with a pinch of ground ginger instead of the cinnamon. Pineapple holds far more water, so use 2 tsp of cornflour rather than 1.
Do not overfill. Two tablespoons feels mean and is exactly right. Overfilled rolls burst.
Make your own custard if you have 15 minutes. Whisk 4 egg yolks with 50g caster sugar and 2 tsp cornflour. Heat 500ml whole milk with 100ml double cream and a split vanilla pod until steaming, pour it slowly onto the yolks whisking constantly, return to the pan and stir over a low heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Never let it boil.
Air fryer version. Brush generously with oil and air fry at 190°C for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once.
Freeze them raw. Roll, open-freeze on a lined tray for 2 hours, then bag. Fry from frozen at 170°C for 4 to 5 minutes. They keep for 2 months.
Equipment. A wide frying pan for the filling, a large plate for cooling it, a deep heavy pan for frying, a cooking thermometer, a pastry brush, a wire cooling rack and a small pan for the custard.
Deep frying safely. Never fill the pan more than a third full, never leave it unattended and never add wet food to hot oil. Keep a well-fitting lid within reach. Cool the oil completely before straining and storing, and take used oil to a household recycling centre rather than pouring it away.
Allergens. This recipe contains wheat (gluten) and milk, and the custard contains egg. Spring roll wrappers sometimes contain egg or soya. Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.
This is a home recipe inspired by the Apple Pie Rolls and Pineapple Pie Rolls at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.
Or have five brought to your table
Apple Pie Rolls and Pineapple Pie Rolls are both £6.50 for five at 172 Biscot Road in Luton, with warm custard. If you would rather something colder, the Cozy Swirl lets you build your own soft serve, and Magic Fluffy Cakes change depending on what is in the kitchen that day. Order for collection or delivery, or read the whole dessert list.
If you make them at home, rate the recipe below and tell us whether you went apple or pineapple.
Newer From Our Kitchen
For a chilled alternative that needs no oven, see our chocolate dream cake tin. Both are excellent with a karak chai, and a dalgona cookie on the side is a nice extra.