- 75 g soft butter
- 100 g demerara sugar
- 1 large egg
- 125 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 75 g butterscotch chips/morsels
- 125 g Bramley apple one small one
- 4 tbsp rolled oats
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Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy - demerara sugar won't dissolve like caster or even granulated sugar so don't worry if there's still some crystals remaining.
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Beat in the egg.
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Next, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and butterscotch chips then tip into the creamed butter mix. Fold in until almost fully incorporated.
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Now to deal with the apple - Bramley's discolour rapidly so wash it, peel it and then dice into 5mm sized cubes (i.e. as finely as you have patience for!) and immediately, mix into the cookie dough.
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Next, take two large pieces of cling film and sprinkle a line of oats down the middle. Scoop half the dough out onto it and sprinkle with more oats before using the cling film to roll the dough into a 1 inch wide sausage shape. Repeat with the remaining dough and oats. Freeze for 20-30 minutes or chill in the fridge for an hour.
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Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a large baking sheet with reuseable silicone paper or baking parchment. Take the solid cookie dough out and unwrap it before slicing each log into 6 pieces. Stand them end up on the baking sheet and if liked, use any remaining oats to top with before baking for 12-14 minutes in the centre of the oven. They will spread a little but still be thick and puffy. The edges will be set but the middle a little soft - you can bake for an extra 2 minutes if you want them more done.
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Remove from the oven onto a baking rack and cool on the tin as they will be very soft until they reach room temperature.
Don't prepare the apples ahead or they will discolour, and you don't want to soak them in water and lemon juice as you may do for a pie as that will make them too wet. As long as you work quickly and get the dough wrapped up in the cling film, they won't turn brown.
The chilling time is important - if you run out of time, I recommend leaving them in the fridge overnight before baking and be prepared to add an extra 2 minutes baking time to get the middles cooked (i.e. up to 16 minutes total).
These are moist cookies and they are best eaten within 24 hours of making. Or freeze them as soon as they are cold and thaw on some kitchen roll before refreshing in a moderate oven for 5 minutes to warm through and crispen up a little. The scent as they warm is also wonderful for cold autumn days!