Homemade Apple Pie Filling

After our annual outing to Oak Glen, we came home with a HUGE box of apples.  50 pounds worth.  After the initial excitement I started feeling faint.  What to do?  Could we really eat all those apples?  Were they going to be any good?

To quickly use up a large quantity I decided to try canning (first time ever!) and canned 12 quarts of apple pie filling.  I found the original recipe here.  But thought (before tasting) it needed a little extra "kick".  You can find my tweaks in red!


Canned Apple Pie Filling
Sauce for 7 qts.

Fill a large pot with 10 cups cold water.

In a large mixing bowl combine the following:

4 1/2 c. sugar (could be reduced to 3 1/2 cups if you don't like super sweet pie)
1 c. cornstarch
3 tsp. cinnamon (after tasting could be increased to 4tsp)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt

Slowly add to pot of cold water, whisking to prevent clumping.  Mix well.  Heat and bring to a boil whisking frequently.  This will look cloudy until cooked, then it will look clear and glossy.  Cook until slightly thickened.

Add:

3 Tbs. lemon juice and mix thoroughly.


You will need a little over 1lb of apples per quart jar for the filling.

Sterilize all canning jars and lids.

Peel, core and slice apples.  Place into a large bowl with cold water and about a tablespoon of lemon juice until all apples are peeled.  Fill jars with apples wiggling the jar so they fill with apples (if there aren't enough apples, after processing you will be left with several inches of juice in the bottom of the jar with the apples "floating" on top instead of a nice full jar of filling).  After the jars are filled pour the sauce over the top leaving about one inch of space on top.

Wipe down all jar rims then process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes.

Allow to cool.  Give as gifts, or enjoy yourself!