Canned apple pie filling: the ultimate last-minute dessert for unexpected company or chilly winter evenings when you’d rather be sitting beside the woodstove than slaving on pies in the kitchen. If you’d rather, you can freeze this pie filling in quart freezer bags. Enjoy.
4 – 6 quarts peeled and sliced firm apples, like Winesap, Rome, Ida Red or Jonathan (reserved)
4 1/2 cups sugar or rapadura
1 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3 tablespoons lemon juice
10 cups water
In a large pot, cook all the ingredients, except the apples, until thick and bubbly, stirring often. Remove from heat.
Add as many apples to the sugar sauce as you can, keeping the mixture plenty juicy.
Place the apples into prepared quart jars and process 25 minutes in a hot water bath. Makes 4 – 6 quarts.
I made this recipe today and realized it didn’t give a head space to fill the jars to. I decide to go with one inch, but when I took them out of the canner the sauce came oozing out of the jars! I’m sure they are not going to seal. After they cool I’m going to try them again, I filled them to one inch with apples and sauce, maybe the sauce doesn’t need to be to the top of the apples? I hope this works, I was very excited about this recipe.