I made apple pie filling even easier by slow cooking the apples in the crock pot all day for perfect apple pie filling every time!
Are you tired of apple recipes yet? No? Good! Because I have another one for you today. As crazy as I think my roommate is for spending 12+ hours a day on some of the hottest days of the summer this year canning things like jam, chicken broth, bbq sauce, and all things tomatoes it is really nice to be able to pop down to the basement and grab a jar of salsa or pasta sauce or raspberry jam to randomly whip something up.
With fall tight on the heels of summer here in Michigan and rumors of Michigan being one of the largest producers of apples in the country I was promised boat loads of cheap apples to do whatever I please with. As a staunch apple lover I can think of no better use for bushels upon bushels of super cheap apples than canning some apple pie filling to do whatever I want whenever I want! I see apple pie in the middle of the frozen tundra a lot this winter. If for no other reason to make me hate winter a little less.
As I mentioned when I made these apple pie bites I like the apples in my apple pie filling to be mushy. Some people are a fan of crunchy apples in their pie but I am not one of those people. Back in the day I’d cook the apples on the stove right before making the pie but the idea of having apple pie filling at the ready had those big cartoon hearts zooming around my head.
You can certainly still cook the apples on the stove but a much more hands off and appealing way to me is the crock pot (aff). The apples get perfectly soft and gooey and cinnamon-y and as an added bonus it makes the entire house smell like fall. Which I am all kinds of ready for. Bring it!
1 five pound bag of apples will make roughly 3 1/2 quarts of pie filling and 1 quart of filling is enough for one 9″ pie. So manipulate those ratios to your liking. I am by no means an expert on canning anything so I won’t go into exactly how to can these but I promise to stalk my roommate until she posts her own apple pie canning how-to on her blog! Not just for full pies I love to use apple pie filling for scones, cupcakes, pancakes, party dips, or just to eat by the spoonful! So having it on hand to use at a moments notice is definitely going to be my favorite thing about living with a homesteader.
What is your favorite way to use apple pie filling?
Crock Pot Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 10 pounds apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups ½ milk
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup cinnamon
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
Instructions
- Add milk and cornstarch to the bottom of a large crock pot and whisk until completely combined.
- Add apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice and stir carefully to coat the apples.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until apples reach desired tenderness.
- Store in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can for freshness up to several months.
Notes
I like a heavy bite of cinnamon so I doubled the cinnamon when I made this. Adjust the cinnamon levels to your tastes.
Kathlene
Sunday 1st of September 2019
Can this be frozen and for how long?
Meaghan
Tuesday 3rd of September 2019
I've never tried freezing this but I'd imagine if stored properly you could freeze it for a month or two.
Beth
Wednesday 20th of September 2017
I would like to know if I can CAN this recipe. It seems like it would be easy to do especially with little ones running around..
Meaghan
Friday 22nd of September 2017
Absolutely! I'm not a canning expert so I'm not sure if you'd need to pressure can or water bath it but you can definitely add this recipe to jars and can them :)
~Meaghan
Erin
Friday 18th of September 2015
The smell of this cooking in the crockpot alone is enough to make me want to try making it!
Meaghan
Friday 18th of September 2015
This stuff is right up your ally! Especially if you get the hubs to help with apple peeling.
~Meaghan