There’s a special feeling when you get to smell freshly baking apple pie filling. If you ever want to create a homemade treat for your family or prepare early for future holidays, making apple pie filling will revolutionize your baking. Let’s start by covering everything you should know, beginning with top apples and a quick and effective apple pie filling recipe. Trade the processed stuff for a delicious real filling you make by hand.
Why Make Your Own Apple Pie Filling?
You’ll often find that apple pie from a can can end up tasting too sweet and feeling strange in your mouth. Making your own apple pie filling gives you complete ownership over how it tastes, smells, feels and how sweet it is. On top of that, it’s a lot more enjoyable and rewarding. You could use homemade apple pie filling for pies, but also for turnovers, crisps, parfaits or pancake and ice cream toppings..
Ingredients for the Best Apple Pie Filling
Before we dive into the steps, let’s gather all the ingredients. This recipe makes enough filling for one 9-inch pie. If you want to store it for later, you can easily double or triple the ingredients.
🍎 Ingredients:
It’s important to collect the ingredients ahead of making the steps. You will have enough filling for a 9-inch pie. To store some for another day, feel free to make more in larger amounts. 🍎 Ingredients: You can use about 6 medium apples, peeling, coring and slicing them thin so that they will measure about 6 cups. For two tablespoons of lemon juice
• 240 milliliters granulated sugar 1/4 cup of brown sugar Use 1/4 cup cornstarch (or you can use all-purpose flour) 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
• You can use 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice (optional). One eighth of a teaspoon of salt You can use 1 cup of regular water OR 1 cup of apple juice for flavor.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract If desired for richness, it’s great to add 2 tablespoons of butter. Both white and brown sugar are used in this recipe to give you the right amount of sugar and caramel.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Apple Pie Filling
Time to get the dishes made! Achieve the same sweet and spiced flavor by using the easy steps described below.
🥣 Step 1: Prep the Apples
Begin by removing the skin, removing the core and slicing your apples. You need to make the slices thin, but not so thin that they turn to mush — we’re aiming for about 1/4-inch slices. Since the apples can turn brown in the salad, add a little lemon juice to stop this and to give a tart edge to the sweetness..
🔥 Step 2: Make the Sauce
Over medium heat in a large saucepan, put the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and water. Mix all ingredients by stirring until everything is soft and without lumps. Be sure to regularly stir the soup while it’s heating. At about 2-3 minutes, standing the mixture for five seconds will reveal it is getting thicker.
🍏 Step 3: Add the Apples
As soon as your sauce thickens, place your prepared apple slices into the pan. Serve yourself any amount while the apple pieces are still mixed in the sauce. Turn down the heat and cook the apples for 8-10 minutes. Don’t let the mixture burn, so try to mix it occasionally. They should become softer but should not fall apart. To have soft apples like McDonald’s uses, let them cook for a little while longer.
🧈 Step 4: Add Final Touches
Once both of these are met, pause the cooking by moving the pan aside from the heat. Adding vanilla extract and butter will give additional richness and flavor to your pancake batter. It’s safe to use the mixture if it has cooled well enough, but you may also chill it and use it when you need the pie.
Which Apples Are Best for Apple Pie Filling?
Not every apple makes a great apple pie filling — especially for apple pie filling. You should choose apples that don’t soften or become squishy in the oven. The best types of apples to use in your pie filling are: Granny Smith – full of tart flavor, hard to the bite and great for balancing the dish
• Honeycrisp is a variety that’s not too sweet and not too soft
• Fuji – plump and full of great flavor
• Braeburn – contains a little spiciness and is nicely balanced
• Jonagold is sweet and has a tangy afternote Blending together tart and sweet apples will help your apple pie filling taste better.
How to Store Apple Pie Filling
You can make your apple pie filling in advance and keep it in several different ways.
🧊 Refrigerate:
Keep the filling in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days after it cools completely.
❄️ Freeze:
Put the filling in a bag or container that can be frozen until you are ready to eat it. Be sure to place the discovery date on the label. You may feel it for up to 3 months. Place in the fridge to thaw overnight before you use it.
🫙 Can It:
You can prevent spoilage and keep your apple pie filling by sealing it in jars by water bath canning. Fruit should be canned according to USDA guidelines.
How to Use Apple Pie Filling
Having made your recipe, there are several nice ways to serve it up: 🥧 An Apple Pie Classic These pies go by different names: apple turnovers or hand pies 🧁 Apple pie cupcakes 🥞 Adding something extra to pancakes or waffles
• Ice cream topping Make quick smoothies in your yogurt or oatmeal.
• 🥧 You can make apple crisp or cobbler. The filling made here is so adaptable you can use it in various sweet recipes.
Tips for the Perfect recipe
Use these easy tips to get the best apple pie filling possible:
✔️ Use Fresh Apples:
Never by bad or shrivelled apples; only buy firm and fresh apples. Don’t pick applicants that look damaged or are stacked for too long.
✔️ Adjust Sugar:
Sweeten the applesCommunicate your sugar intake appropriately to suit both your apples and your taste.
✔️ Spice It Up:
Stir in a little more cinnamon, add some ground clove or some bourbon to make the apples taste different.
✔️ Don’t Skip the Lemon Juice:
It protects the apples from becoming brown and rightly sweetens everything.
✔️ Make It Ahead:
It’s best to make the recipe a day or two in advance of baking. The flavors are able to come out more strongly with time.
Final Thoughts: Make Your Kitchen Smell Like Fall
Cinnamon, apples and sugar cooking together make the air smell just wonderful. This simple apple pie filling recipe lets you enjoy delicious pie at any time during the year. Adding homemade apple pie filling to pies, pancakes or parfaits brings a pleasant, sweet taste to your desserts. After trying it, you might find you don’t want to use canned filling again. So gather some apples, start peeling them and let’s get started on our recipe. Have fun with your baking!
