As the winter months draw in there is no better time to give in to your sweet tooth and curl up in front of the fire with a tasty dessert.
Top chefs Marcus Wareing, Andy Waters and Andy Gray have kindly shared some seasonal dessert recipes with HuffPost UK Lifestyle.
From poached pears with chocolate sauce to spiced plums with Chantilly cream, they are guaranteed to get you salivating.
So what are you waiting for?
Seasonal Desserts
Spiced Apple Crumble Slice(01 of03)
Ingredients
Apples
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
100g caster sugar
Shortbread base
75g unsalted butter, stened, plus extra for greasing
1 free-range egg, beaten
40g caster sugar
2 tbsp semi skimmed milk
75g plain flour
50g wholemeal flour
25g wheatgerm
0.5 tsp baking powder
Crumble
50g oats, rolled
40g wholemeal flour
50g walnuts, chopped
15g wheatgerm
1 pinch salt
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground ginger
1/2 freshly grated nutmeg
60g unsalted butter
To plate
1 tub vanilla ice cream
Serves 12
1. Place the apples in a saucepan with the sugar. Cover the pan and place over a low heat until the juice begins to come out of the apples. Increase the heat and cook until the apples are soft, then set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 165°C/ 325° F/ gas mark 3
3. For the shortbread, cream the butter and sugar together, then add the egg and milk. Add the wholemeal and plain flour, baking powder and wheatgerm. Spread over the bottom of a greased cake tin (approximately 20cm x 20cm x 5cm) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin.
4. For the crumble begin by mixing all the dry ingredients except the butter together. Melt the butter in a small saucepan then pour it over the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spread the apple over the shortbread base, then sprinkle the crumble mix over the top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.
6. Serve the apple crumble slice warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs (credit:Great British Chefs)
Apples
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
100g caster sugar
Shortbread base
75g unsalted butter, stened, plus extra for greasing
1 free-range egg, beaten
40g caster sugar
2 tbsp semi skimmed milk
75g plain flour
50g wholemeal flour
25g wheatgerm
0.5 tsp baking powder
Crumble
50g oats, rolled
40g wholemeal flour
50g walnuts, chopped
15g wheatgerm
1 pinch salt
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground ginger
1/2 freshly grated nutmeg
60g unsalted butter
To plate
1 tub vanilla ice cream
Serves 12
1. Place the apples in a saucepan with the sugar. Cover the pan and place over a low heat until the juice begins to come out of the apples. Increase the heat and cook until the apples are soft, then set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 165°C/ 325° F/ gas mark 3
3. For the shortbread, cream the butter and sugar together, then add the egg and milk. Add the wholemeal and plain flour, baking powder and wheatgerm. Spread over the bottom of a greased cake tin (approximately 20cm x 20cm x 5cm) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin.
4. For the crumble begin by mixing all the dry ingredients except the butter together. Melt the butter in a small saucepan then pour it over the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spread the apple over the shortbread base, then sprinkle the crumble mix over the top. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.
6. Serve the apple crumble slice warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs (credit:Great British Chefs)
Poached Pears With Chocolate Sauce And Ice Cream(02 of03)
Ingedients
Poached pears
4 conference pears
1 lemon, juiced
600ml dessert wine
200ml orange juice
250g caster sugar
2 Bart star anise
1 Bart vanilla pod
Caster sugar for dusting
Chocolate sauce
50g caster sugar
25g cocoa powder
375ml water
50g dark chocolate
To serve
1 tub vanilla ice cream
Serves 4
1. Peel and core the pears. Rub the flesh with a little of the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
2. Combine the orange and lemon juices, sweet wine, star anise, caster sugar and vanilla in a large, heavy-based saucepan and place over a low heat, stirring gently for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the pears to the saucepan and cover with a disc of crumbled greaseproof paper, then the lid. Bring to the boil and simmer for no more than 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the liquid until they are just warm.
5. For the chocolate sauce, combine the cocoa powder, sugar and water in a heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil, whisking until smooth.
6. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, then remove from the heat.
7. Chop the chocolate and add each piece one at a time, stirring continuously until all the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth.
8. Remove the poached pears from the cooking liquor and place on kitchen paper to drain. Trim the base of each pear a little so they are able to sit upright.
9. Roll the pear lightly in caster sugar until covered then caramelize the sugar with a blowtorch.
10. To serve, sit a poached pear upright in each serving dish. Place a ball or scoop of ice cream next to it and pour the hot chocolate sauce around. Serve with more hot chocolate sauce on the side.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs (credit:Great British Chefs)
Poached pears
4 conference pears
1 lemon, juiced
600ml dessert wine
200ml orange juice
250g caster sugar
2 Bart star anise
1 Bart vanilla pod
Caster sugar for dusting
Chocolate sauce
50g caster sugar
25g cocoa powder
375ml water
50g dark chocolate
To serve
1 tub vanilla ice cream
Serves 4
1. Peel and core the pears. Rub the flesh with a little of the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.
2. Combine the orange and lemon juices, sweet wine, star anise, caster sugar and vanilla in a large, heavy-based saucepan and place over a low heat, stirring gently for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the pears to the saucepan and cover with a disc of crumbled greaseproof paper, then the lid. Bring to the boil and simmer for no more than 5 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the liquid until they are just warm.
5. For the chocolate sauce, combine the cocoa powder, sugar and water in a heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil, whisking until smooth.
6. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, then remove from the heat.
7. Chop the chocolate and add each piece one at a time, stirring continuously until all the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth.
8. Remove the poached pears from the cooking liquor and place on kitchen paper to drain. Trim the base of each pear a little so they are able to sit upright.
9. Roll the pear lightly in caster sugar until covered then caramelize the sugar with a blowtorch.
10. To serve, sit a poached pear upright in each serving dish. Place a ball or scoop of ice cream next to it and pour the hot chocolate sauce around. Serve with more hot chocolate sauce on the side.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs (credit:Great British Chefs)
Spiced Plums With Chantilly Cream(03 of03)
Ingredients
Spiced plums
8 plums
4 tbsp of passion fruit juice
0.5 tsp of cinnamon
30g of butter, diced
2 tsp of sugar
Cream Chantilly
300ml of double cream
1 vanilla pod, split with seeds removed and reserved
25g of icing sugar
Serves 4
1. Preheat oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5.
2. Halve the plums and remove the stones. Place them skin side down in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with the passion fruit juice.
3. Sprinkle the butter, cinnamon and sugar on top and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. While the plums are cooking, lightly whip the cream and fold in vanilla seeds and icing sugar.
5. Remove plums from the oven and baste with the juices in the dish. Serve with the Chantilly cream.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs (credit:Great British Chefs)
Spiced plums
8 plums
4 tbsp of passion fruit juice
0.5 tsp of cinnamon
30g of butter, diced
2 tsp of sugar
Cream Chantilly
300ml of double cream
1 vanilla pod, split with seeds removed and reserved
25g of icing sugar
Serves 4
1. Preheat oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5.
2. Halve the plums and remove the stones. Place them skin side down in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with the passion fruit juice.
3. Sprinkle the butter, cinnamon and sugar on top and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. While the plums are cooking, lightly whip the cream and fold in vanilla seeds and icing sugar.
5. Remove plums from the oven and baste with the juices in the dish. Serve with the Chantilly cream.
Recipe courtesy of Great British Chefs (credit:Great British Chefs)