Autumn often prompts us to spend some time in the kitchen…cooking up warm, yummy comfort foods and baking goodies for all the holidays ahead! Today we would like to share a family favorite recipe for apple pie filling…a delightful treat that has been appreciated for generations! After we take a trip to the apple orchard to load up on recipe requirements we spend an afternoon peeling and cooking up this gooey goodness, packaging it up in containers, and filling the freezer with more than a dozen packages of pie filling…a little time consuming, but totally worth the effort! Throughout the year I have the ability to literally whip up a pie in no time by simply defrosting a container, plopping it into a crust, and baking! Whether you want to stock up or just bake one…this recipe is as easy as it is tasty! Perfect for the holidays-or any day for that matter! Bake a pie…
just like Grandma’s!
all you need are some apples…
some sugar & spice…
apple pie filling–so deliciously nice!
the recipe:
Grandma’s pie filling…
4 C sliced apples (i use half Jonathan & half Granny Smith)
1 C sugar
2 T corn starch
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
add all ingredients to a sauce pan and cook over medium to low heat until it is cooked down with the liquid more like a jelly consistency.
remove from heat and add 2 T butter stirring until melted. cool completely.
place in pie crust & top with more crust or a crumble (recipe to follow).
you can use prepared crusts or make your own…when i freeze the filling i always keep some deep dish pie crusts in the freezer. this makes it easy to bake at the drop of a hat!
bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until bubbly. (place pie in a jelly roll pan when baking to catch any filling that may bubble over the edge)
you can also freeze the pie filling for up to one year.
the crumble:
5 T butter, chilled & cut into cubes
1/2 C whole oats
1/2 C flour
1/2 C brown sugar
place all ingredients in bowl, using a pastry knife or fork blend until crumbled. sprinkle on top of pie filling and bake.
these helpful shields will help keep your crusts from getting too brown…just lay them over the edges half-way through baking or when the crusts begin to deeply brown
(you can find them in most baking sections & specialty shops-or you can use strips of foil)
normally i use the crumble recipe…but this time i used a tiny cutter to make this whimsical top crust!
(if you choose a top crust, try sprinkling it with cinnamon sugar before baking!)
it’s almost Halloween…so a cake pick makes a playful dessert!
a stripey straw with a banner is topped off with a cupcake pick-simply inserted at the top! so easy & fun!
don’t worry about perfection…it’s guaranteed that your recipients will love it…
no matter what!
who’s having apple pie tonight!?