Apple Pie Filling
Serves 8
In this easy apple pie filling recipe, I cook sweet-tart apples with warm spices until they're tender and juicy. It makes enough for one 9.5- or 9-inch pie. If you're using a 9-inch pie pan, you might have a little filling left over. Use it as a topping for ice cream or pancakes, or try another of the serving suggestions in the post above.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon Apple Pie Spice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 pounds good baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large pot, whisk together the brown sugar, cane sugar, apple pie spice, and salt. Add the apple slices and lemon juice and toss until the apples are evenly coated in the sugar and spices. Set aside for 30 minutes to draw some of the juices out of the apples.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Set the pot with the apples over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until the apples soften slightly, about 5 minutes*. Raise the heat to medium and pour the cornstarch mixture over the apples. Cook, stirring, until the apple juices bubble and thicken, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and vanilla.
- Allow the filling to cool completely before using in a pie, or serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
*If you do not plan to use the apple pie filling in a pie, continue cooking until the apples reach your desired tenderness. Use as a topping for vanilla ice cream or yogurt, or try another of the serving suggestions in the post above.