Easy Homemade Apple Pie Filling
This fail-proof easy homemade apple pie filling recipe will be your new favorite for apple pies, apple tarts, apple crumble - literally anything apple. You can even spoon it over vanilla ice cream.
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Ingredients
- 4-6 apples
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and slice apples. Set aside until ready to cook.
- In a large stove-top pot, melt the butter on medium-high heat.
- Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until it is combined and become a lovely brown caramel color.
- Add the apples to the pot, stirring to coat all of the apples.
- Cook the apples on medium-high until they start to let go of some of their water and create more liquid.
- When the liquid starts to boil (3-4 minutes), turn the heat down to low and cook the apples in the butter-sugar sauce for 15-20 minutes, stirring about 4-5 times during the cooking process.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine the cornstarch and water, stir until smooth.
- Fold the cornstarch water mix into the apples and gently stir until the sauce thickens.
- Remove from the heat and cool at room temperature.
Notes
- When slicing the apples, try to keep them all the same size so they cook evenly. If they are too thin, they will get mushy and you want to maintain some of the crispiness.
- Taste - taste - taste! Taste the apples while they are cooking and cook them until they are soft, but not mushy. For this recipe, undercooked is better than overcooked. If you do overcook the apples, it's easy to turn this recipe into Homemade Apple Sauce.
- Try adding different seasonings and spices to give the pie filling different flavors. Some of my favorites are vanilla, ginger, or cardamom.
- This recipe makes a fantastic holiday gift or party favor. Place 1 cup of pie filling into a small mason jar. Wrap a ribbon around the jar, and add a note calling it ice cream topping.
- This recipe will keep for 5 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
- To freeze, place the cooked pie filling into a large ziptop bag and freeze for 2-3 months.