Apple Pie Filling - Canned or You Can Freeze It!

"This is such a handy recipe to have during apple season! This filling is AMAZING! Just can a bunch of apple pie filling and those apple pies for Thanksgiving and Chrstmas will take you no time at all. Just make a crust and bake! It also works great for cobbler, or just heated up with some vanilla ice cream. Just a note: If you are baking an apple pie with this canned pie filling, bake it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes. The apples are already cooked."
 
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photo by laura photo by laura
photo by laura
photo by PaulaG photo by PaulaG
photo by Tinkerbell photo by Tinkerbell
photo by Tinkerbell photo by Tinkerbell
Ready In:
50mins
Ingredients:
9
Yields:
6 quarts
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Steralize 6 quart jars if canning by washing them with soap and water and putting them in the oven at 215 degrees for a minimun of 15 minutes. They can stay in the oven until you are ready to take them out.
  • Peel, core and slice apples. (Leave slices about 1/2 inch thick).
  • Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch and salt in large pot.
  • Add water and cook on high heat, stirring frequently at first and then constantly until it boils. Let it boil for about a minute, at this point it should be nice and thick.
  • Stir in lemon juice and food coloring.
  • Pack apples in hot jars and fill jars with sauce just to the bottom rung of the mouth of the jar. I use a wooden spoon to push the apples down. DO NOT FILL THEM ANY HIGHER! THEY WILL EXPLODE!
  • Yes, it happened to me! :(.
  • Process jars in hot water bath for 20 minutes or freeze however you want to.

Questions & Replies

  1. How do we bake a pie with apple pie filling? Do I bake the crust first or just like a normal apple pie recipe?
     
  2. Why add food coloring
     
  3. will 6 pounds fill 6 jars? i have a lot of apples right now...
     
  4. Why are you telling people to put jars in oven to sterilize? Glass jars are not tempered for dry heat and they can shatter upon removal. This stuff is why I teach people new to canning to not follow blogs and you tube videos. Jars do not need sterilized if pressure canning or in boiling water bath for at least ten minutes, the hot water will sterilize the jars right along with the food.
     
  5. To freeze, would I follow the same recipe and freeze instead of canning?
     
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Reviews

  1. I haven't made this in over 30 years until today. Used fresh orchard apples and apple pie spice. The sugar was reduced by 1/2 cup. The apples were carefully weighed and 6 lbs was not near enough to fill the jars. There was enough of the liquid to make 6 quart jars but several additional apples were needed. I used a clean knife blade to chase the air bubbles out. The flavor is awesome. I look forward to making apple cobblers this winter with the fruits of my labor. Thanks for posting this recipe,
     
  2. I was looking for a way to use up my huge apple crop last fall, so I decided to try making apple pie filling. This recipe is so easy and it turned out so yummy!! I'm down to my last quart jar:(<br/>I too added a bit more of the spices (personal preference), and I'm looking forward to September so I can make this again. Thanks so much!!
     
  3. June 5, 2010: I haven't tried a pie with it yet, because the jars are still cooling, but the sauce I tasted while filling them was delicious! I had a Costco package of Fuji apples on hand (but usually prefer granny smith for pies), so I used those & I used fresh lemon juice & freshly grated nutmeg. I cut the recipe in half & pressure canned 3 quarts. I can't wait to put one in a pie! I've never done the jars in the oven trick before & I really liked it! No boiling hot water to dump out! Thanks for sharing this recipe, Sarah! Made & enjoyed for ZWT-6 Team Xtra Hot Dishes! :D UPDATE: June 15, 2010 - I opened one of the 3 jars & baked a pie according to the instructions in the intro. First off, the pie is delicious! But, I wonder about the part of the intro that states the apples are already cooked. They don't get cooked at all before processing and the texture of the apples after baking is slightly uncooked. I happen to prefer my apples a little on the crunchy side, so I usually use Granny Smiths. But this time I had the Fuji apples on hand so would expect them to be softer than they are. So, if you like your apples on the firm side, this is definitely the recipe for you! :) Thanks again, Sarah!
     
  4. Absolutely delicious and jars beautifully to give as gifts for cobblers! Instead of food coloring, I used 3T pumpkin pie spice, 2T cinnamon, and 2T molasses to give the sauce a rich, golden brown color. I also like for my cobblers to taste like apple cinnamon rolls, without the roll, so that much spice and molasses did just the trick! I boiled the apples until they were not quite completely cooked, but a bit more than au dente (about 3 minutes of rapid boiling), so that when I pop the filling in the oven later with a crumb topping, the apples will be very done (I prefer not to have crunchy apples in my cobblers - I like for the crumb topping to be the star of the show). For an apple pie, I would cook exactly as the recipe specifies, as I like for the pie crust and apples to have a balanced crisp and bite to them. Absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
     
  5. Regular corn starch breaks down during the heat process that is necessary for canning. If you are canning vs. freezing, use a product that is made specifically for canning like ClearJel or UltraJel. (These are cornstarchs that have been modified not to break down in the acid and heat.) Follow package directions for amount.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

This is a picture of my sweet hubby and me. We've been married for over two years and I love cook. My husband is a very fit guy who works really hard, but loves to eat. All of our friends are wondering how long his fitness will last eating all the sweets I cook! :) I love this website and use it quite a bit. I am a Christian, and I work at a home for troubled kids. I teach music. All of the recipes that I have posted are my absolute favorites. I will never post a recipe that I have not made myself. <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/participantbannerzwt5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Iwasadopted.jpg"> <img src="http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg271/MrsTeny/Permanent%20Collection/PACSpring09Participation.jpg"> <img src="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/tgifford/Game%20Room%20Banners/AM%20Banners/potluckpbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PACfall08partic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/peacefulnightdove/memdaych.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Zaar%20World%20Tour%204/ZWTAB-tg.gif">
 
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