Ingredients

Step by step

1. Mix the butter, sugar, raisins and cinnamon in a small bowl. Peel the apples, then remove the core from each with a corer or a teaspoon, leaving the apple whole.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Put a baking tray in the oven to heat.
3. Remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge and cut in half, then cut each piece into 3 equal rectangles. Flatten each piece with your hand and shape roughly into a circle shape, then roll out thinly on a work surface lightly dusted with flour until it forms a rough circle large enough to wrap completely around an apple (about 20cm in diameter). Place one apple in the centre of one piece of pastry and spoon a little of the butter and sugar mixture inside the apple (where the core used to be), packing it in tightly. Brush the edges of the pastry with a pastry brush slightly wet with water, then gather the pastry up over the apple, pleating the pastry all the way around to enclose it, pinching the pastry tightly together at the top. The pastry will be quite thick at the top, so pinch off a little – enough to roll thinly into a leaf – and set aside. Repeat with all the apples.
4. Gather the pastry trimmings together and roll out thinly then cut out 6 small oval leaf shapes, score with the back of a knife, brush the back of each with a damp pastry brush and place one leaf on each apple.
5. Brush the apples with the egg white, sprinkle with sugar; put on the hot baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes until golden and the apples are tender. Serve hot with cream or custard.
6. Watch this...

   Devon apple dumplings