Apple Pie Filling
All-American
I’ve had this recipe for apple pie filling for a quarter of a century. My mother-in-law, Mom Slabach, gave it to me. I have no idea where she got the recipe. Every time I make a batch of this, I think of Mom, because the recipe is in her handwriting. And every time I make a batch of her apple pie filling, I miss her. She’s enjoying better apple pie than we can ever make here on earth. You can read about her in my book Aren’t We Having Fun Dying?! I’m re-posting this recipe from five years ago because it’s apple time again.
Everyone has an opinion about what kind of apple makes the best apple pie. I’ve used different varieties – mostly when I’m gifted free apples. One thing I do know is that you need a firm apple for this recipe since you will process (can) the filling. Does anyone want to know how I know?! Or you can freeze the filling instead. So you choose the variety you like best and have at it!
Ingredients for apple pie filling
The rest of the ingredients are things you normally have in your kitchen: sugar, corn starch, tapioca, cinnamon, lemon juice and water. You’ll need canning jars and lids for canning also. One quart makes a mean apple pie.
This pie gets made frequently when our kids come home to visit. This apple pie and fresh, homemade rolls are frequent requests. You can make your own crust or use a store-bought crust (gasp!), or you can find someone who will make the crust for you. The crumb topping is easier than making a crust for the top, and it goes well with this apple pie filling.
For the filling, you’ll need to peel and slice the apples – unless you have an apple/peeler/corer. Having one of those saves a lot of time. Even if you don’t have one, you can still turn out this filling. When you’re in a hurry and you need pie filling for a pie or another recipe, you’ll be glad you took the time to fill those jars and can them!
From start to finish
And the finished product! I know that fresh, homemade pie is the best. This is second best, for sure.
Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 cup tapioca minute
- 4 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- Apples 1 apple = approx. 1 cup = 4 apples/quart
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and slice apples
- Put all other ingredients into a kettle and bring to a boil
- Stir well until all ingredients are dissolved
- Place apples in canning jars
- Pour liquid over apples in the jars - fill to the neck of the jar
- Process 20 minutes in a water bath OR for 10 minutes at 5# pressure in a pressure canner
