Brought to you by Le Crunch French Apples. 

This is actually better than a hug.

Living in Ireland means we become experts in finding the comforting things in life. When it's cold and wet outside, you really just need to cuddle up with a blanket, a hot water bottle, or a favourite baggy jumper. We're become experts in finding the most comfortable things for those rainy days. I mean, one of the most popular beverages in Ireland is the humble mug of tea. I think that says a lot about us. We find warmth where we can (because the weather sure does not provide it for us). One dessert that's been around for a long that and that's great for warming us up is the beloved apple pie. It's warm, sweet, fruity, and has a nice crunchy crust to top it off - what more could you want really? Well, Le Crunch French Apple has been sending us over a few recipes over the last few weeks and now they've sent us one for their very own apple pie. (They're experts in this particular flavour of pie, in case you didn't guess). And, honestly, eating this is like giving your tummy a giant hug. We suggest you try it. Immediately. Apple Pie Serves: 6 Preparation time: 30 min Cooking time: 40 min Ingredients Shortcrust pastry: 250g flour 125g cold butter 1 pinch of sugar water Filling: 100g sugar 500g apples (Golden, Gala, or Braeburn) 2 tbsp water Preparation 1. Preheat the oven to 210°C. 2. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour until the texture resembles breadcrumbs. 3. Add the pinch of sugar and a splash of water and mix until it comes together into a firm dough. Add more water if the dough is too dry. 4. Knead gently until smooth and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. 5. Peel the apples and cut them into pieces. 6. Divide the pastry in half and roll out one of the pieces with a rolling pin into a 20-23cm circle. 7. Grease a pie tin with butter, line the bottom and sides with pastry and fill with apple pieces. Sprinkle the sugar over the top. 8. Roll out the rest of the pastry until it's big enough to cover the top of the pie. Cover the pie and make a small hole with a knife in the centre. Cut off excess pastry, leaving a little bit to overlap with the sides. 9. Crimp the edges of the pie where the two sections mean with your fingers. Coat a fork in flour and press down all around the edges to seal them. Remove the excess pastry from the edges. 10. Brush the pie with milk and put it in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 170°C and cook for another 20 minutes. 11. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream. We're generally split here between using whipped cream or ice-cream. Though you can never go wrong with whipped cream in the winter and a big dollop of ice-cream in the warmer months (which means you can enjoy this yummy dish year round). Enjoy the fruity goodness and we hope your bellies like the hug. Brought to you by Le Crunch French Apples.