This is the recipe I shared on BBC Radio York for the Bake Of  The Week and when I was thinking about which recipe to share I wanted one that would reflect the time of year.

I chose this one because I thought it was a perfect seasonal recipe for the beginning of Autumn, when the mornings are a little cooler and the days are  becoming shorter. The squidgy caramel, sharp apple and buttery crumble are fitting for Halloween and Bonfire night celebrations but also served with a heap of custard , ice cream or even lashings of crème fraiche for a pudding

What you need:

A baking tin 20cm square or 16cm x 26cm

Ingredients

For the shortbread base:

175 unsalted butter ( cut into cubes )

225g plain flour

75g golden caster sugar

For the toffee apple filling:

150g unsalted butter ( plus a little extra to fry the apples )

400g condensed milk

150g light brown soft sugar

2 apples ( I used Red Pippins , also known as Fiesta as they have a superb aromatic flavour and are crisp and sweet )

For the crumble topping:

165g plain flour

100g chilled unsalted butter (cut into cubes )

45g light brown soft sugar

What to do:

1. Prepare the tin first. Line the tin with greaseproof paper, leaving an inch of paper sticking up around the edge so you can lift out the squares later
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 Bake for 5 mins then reduce the heat to 150C/300F/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 35 mins.
3. For the shortbread base: If you have a food processor pulse all the ingredients together until they resemble breadcrumbs. Press them down evenly in the tin and prick all over with a fork.
4. Set aside to cool and turn heat up to 200C/400F/gas mark 6
5. For the crumble topping : pulse the topping ingredients in a food processor into crumbs , set aside 
6. For the toffee apple filling: Peel and cut the apples into chunks . Fry them in a pan with a little butter until soft.
7. Melt the butter with the condensed milk and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat then bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn and whisk gently to keep the caramel smooth
8. Spread the toffee filling onto the shortbread base then carefully spread the apple on top.
9. Then spread the crumble topping evenly over the toffee and apples , making sure that the toffee is covered by all the crumble so that it doesn’t burn
10. Bake for 25 to 30 mins. until the crumble is golden
11. Cool completely before lifting from the tray. Some of the toffee filling may have stuck to the paper but this can be peeled away carefully
12. Cut into portions

Enjoy !