How to Make Apple Pie Filling in a Water Bath Canner

apples

🥗Healthier: pears

💰Cheaper: frozen apple slices

Pears provide a similar texture and flavor profile.

brown sugar

🥗Healthier: coconut sugar

💰Cheaper: white sugar

Coconut sugar offers a lower glycemic index.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil is dairy-free and adds a subtle flavor.

cornstarch

🥗Healthier: arrowroot powder

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Arrowroot is a gluten-free thickener.

Prepare your water bath canner, either stovetop or electric, ensuring it's ready to use.

Gather equipment: stockpot, large bowl, strainer, measuring cups and spoons, paring knife, whisk, rubber spatula or scraper, quart-sized canning jars with lids and rings, ladle, funnel, bubble freer, headspace measurer, and jar lifter.

Wash your hands and produce before starting.

Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/2 inch pieces; you will need between 5 and 8 large apples for one quart of pie filling.

Submerge the sliced apples in an anti-browning solution, then strain them.

Blanch the apples in a stockpot with one gallon of boiling water, boiling each batch for one minute after the water returns to a boil. Drain and keep the heated fruit covered until ready to use.

In the stockpot, combine water and apple juice with granulated sugar, clear gel, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir and cook on medium-high heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble.

Add the bottled lemon juice and stir until it boils for about one minute.

Fold in the blanched apples into the thickened mixture.

Using a jar lifter, carefully remove a jar from the canner. Fill the jar with the hot mixture using a ladle and funnel, leaving a generous one inch headspace.

Remove any bubbles with a bubble freer and wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar using a clean wipe.

Place the lid and ring on the jar, tightening it just snugly.

Place the jars back in the canner, ensuring they are covered with one to two inches of water.

Bring the canner to a full boil and process the pie filling for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, turn off the canner and wait five minutes before removing the jars with the jar lifter.

Place the jars on a towel, leaving space between them to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.

Label the jars and store them for later use.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens