Spiced Apple Pie Filling
Happy Daylight Saving time! And a very happy November to you, as well. Here in Seattle, we’ve far-too-easily stepped into fall; we didn’t get much of a summer, so fall actually feels a little more palatable – now, my expectations are that it won’t be too warm or sunny – this way, when it is actually nice outside, it feels like a bonus (unlike our summer, which was lackluster, and I kept feeling cheated).
With the holidays coming up next month(!), Streus and I figured we’d get ahead of the situation and start posting some of our favorite homemade gifts. You know, the sorts of things you can make in batches and give to people you really like – it’s thoughtful and less expensive, two qualities I hold dear in my gift-giving planning.
As I’ve blathered on about before, I have extremely prolific apple trees that I perpetually feel challenged by/guilty about utilizing to it’s fullest potential. I was *thrilled* to discover another recipe that allows me to use a bunch of apples in a way that both honors the apples, and uses them up!
Since I was making this for gifts – and because I have a lot of apples – I made quite a large batch. It can certainly be halved if that’s more your speed. One quart of apple pie filling is the perfect amount for an 8-inch pie pan – I used one of those disposable aluminum pans and it worked perfectly.
This pie is a bit different than the others I usually make – usually my pies are quite dense with fruit, and this one has more of the spices and thickener to round it out. It worked well as a pie, but I think it’s got lots of potential to be used other ways, too – such as topping for ice cream or baked as a crumble (probably a topping like this is perfect).
When I made mine as a pie, I made 1/2 the standard of my pie dough recipe, but rolled out the dough slightly thinner than I usually do. After lining the pie plate with crust, I was able to trim quite a bit of the excess and re-roll into a lattice top crust.
Spiced Apple Pie Filling
adapted slightly from Food in Jars
- 20 cups peeled and sliced apples
- 6 1/2 cup apple cider
- 6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup Clear Jel (I used this kind)
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
Prepare a boiling water bath canner and six pint jars. Put new lids in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and, in shifts, blanch the apple slices for 1 minute. Remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl of cold water with a splash of lemon juice in it.
In another pot, combine the water and lemon juice. Set over high heat. While it heats, whisk together the sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
Stream the sugar mixture into the water and juice, whisking well to incorporate without lumps. Bring a boil and cook, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken.
Once the canning medium has thickened, fold in the apples and remove it from the heat. Fill the jars, leaving a generous inch of headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 25 minutes.
When time is up, turn the heat off, remove the lid, and slide the pot to a cooler burner. Let the jars sit in the water for an additional ten minutes. This will help minimize the pie filling from siphoning out of the jars.
Once that time is up, remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
NOTE: Processing time is for sea level. If you live at a higher elevation, please adjust accordingly.
November 6, 2016
This entry was posted in baking and tagged apples, canning, fruit, gifts, holidays.
