Discover ways to make apple pie filling from scratch! Candy, tart, juicy, and warmly spiced, it is scrumptious in pies and on ice cream, pancakes, and extra.
As soon as I began making this apple pie filling recipe, I knew I’d by no means fill an apple pie every other approach. The apples come out with the proper texture–tender, however not mushy–they usually’re dripping with syrupy, cinnamon-spiced juices. When you’re making an apple pie this fall, I can’t suggest this filling extremely sufficient.
However even when you’re not making a pie, I nonetheless hope you’ll do this recipe. This do-it-yourself apple pie filling doesn’t want to cover inside a flaky, buttery crust to be a scrumptious deal with. The delicate, sweet-tart apples are unbelievable on ice cream or yogurt, stirred into oatmeal, or loved for dessert on their very own. Let’s be actual, this filling is simply recent apples cooked with brown sugar, heat spices, and vanilla. What’s to not love about that?
Apple Pie Filling Recipe Components
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this do-it-yourself apple pie filling:
- Apples, after all! For my part, Granny Smith apples are the perfect apples for apple pie filling. They maintain their form effectively when cooked, and their tartness makes the candy, spiced flavors on this recipe pop. If you wish to use a form of apples with a much less tart taste, Honeycrisp and Golden Scrumptious are two good options.
- Brown sugar and cane sugar – For sweetness. I really like the brown sugar’s molasses taste alongside the nice and cozy spices on this recipe.
- Apple pie spice – I prefer to make my very own with floor cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom, however be happy to make use of a store-bought mix when you want.
- Recent lemon juice and zest – They add scrumptious brightness to this apple pie filling.
- Vanilla extract – It enhances the spices’ heat, cozy taste.
- Cornstarch and water – They create a slurry that thickens the apple juices right into a shiny sauce.
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
The right way to Make Apple Pie Filling
This apple pie filling recipe is admittedly easy to make! Right here’s the way it goes:
First, prep the apples. Peel, core, and thinly slice them.
Then, whisk collectively the sugars, spices, and salt within the backside of a giant pot. Add the apples and lemon juice and toss till the apples are effectively coated within the sugar and spices.
Let the apples sit for half-hour at room temperature to attract out a few of their juices. I like to offer them a superb stir after quarter-hour to ensure they keep evenly coated within the sugars, spices, and juices. Whereas the apples sit, combine collectively the cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
Subsequent, place the pot over medium-low warmth on the range. Cook dinner, stirring, till the apples soften barely, about 5 minutes. Tip: you solely want the apples to melt just a little when you’re going to make use of this apple pie filling in a pie; they need to nonetheless have a little bit of a chunk. When you’re going to eat the filling by itself or as an ice cream topping, and so on., you’ll be able to prepare dinner the apples to your required tenderness.
Elevate the warmth to medium and pour within the cornstarch slurry. Cook dinner, stirring, till the apple juices bubble and thicken. This received’t take lengthy, simply 30 seconds or so!
Take away from the warmth and add the lemon zest and vanilla extract. That’s it!
The right way to Use Apple Pie Filling
You’ll be able to get pleasure from this straightforward apple pie filling instantly
When you’re making a pie, permit the filling to chill utterly earlier than you add it to the crust. Totally cooling the filling helps preserve any butter within the pie crust chilly till you bake the pie, which leads to a lighter, flakier crust. To assist the filling cool extra rapidly, unfold it out on a few baking sheets or in a big baking dish.
To streamline the pie-making course of, be happy to organize the filling as much as 2 days upfront. It retains effectively in an hermetic container within the fridge.
Extra Favourite Apple Recipes
When you love this recipe, attempt one in every of these scrumptious apple recipes subsequent:
Apple Pie Filling
Serves 8
On this straightforward apple pie filling recipe, I prepare dinner sweet-tart apples with heat spices till they’re tender and juicy. It makes sufficient for one 9.5- or 9-inch pie. When you’re utilizing a 9-inch pie pan, you may need just a little filling left over. Use it as a topping for ice cream or pancakes, or attempt one other of the serving recommendations within the submit above.
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon Apple Pie Spice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 kilos good baking apples, comparable to Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon recent lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
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In a big pot, whisk collectively the brown sugar, cane sugar, apple pie spice, and salt. Add the apple slices and lemon juice and toss till the apples are evenly coated within the sugar and spices. Put aside for half-hour to attract among the juices out of the apples.
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In a small bowl, stir collectively the cornstarch and water till easy.
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Set the pot with the apples over medium-low warmth. Cook dinner, stirring, till the apples soften barely, about 5 minutes*. Elevate the warmth to medium and pour the cornstarch combination over the apples. Cook dinner, stirring, till the apple juices bubble and thicken, about 30 seconds. Take away from the warmth and stir within the lemon zest and vanilla.
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Enable the filling to chill utterly earlier than utilizing in a pie, or serve heat with vanilla ice cream.
*If you don’t plan to make use of the apple pie filling in a pie, proceed cooking till the apples attain your required tenderness. Use as a topping for vanilla ice cream or yogurt, or attempt one other of the serving recommendations within the submit above.
