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Apple Pie Rolls with Warm Custard

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • 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

Scale

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

  1. Melt the butter in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the diced apple, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and lemon juice.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  1. Keep the stack of wrappers under a damp tea towel while you work, as they dry out and crack within minutes.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Rest the rolls seam side down for 5 minutes so the paste sets.

Fry and serve

  1. Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon on a plate. Warm the custard gently in a pan, stirring, until hot but not boiling.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cooling the filling: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Deep Fry
  • Cuisine: British

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/apple-pie-rolls-recipe/