Description
This homemade apple pie filling recipe combines a variety of crisp apples with warm spices to create a delicious and versatile filling perfect for pies, pastries, or as a topping. The apples are sautéed in butter with sugars and spices, then thickened with a cornstarch glaze to retain a lovely texture without becoming mushy.
Ingredients
Scale
Apples
- 1 ½ pounds (681 g) granny smith apples
- 1 ½ pounds (681 g) honeycrisp apples, Fuji, or Braeburn
Filling Base
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon juice
Thickening & Flavoring
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) cornstarch
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the Apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into ½ inch thick slices. Alternatively, you can dice them into ½ inch pieces for use in smaller pastries or as a topping.
- Cook the Apple Filling: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the sliced or diced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Sauté the mixture until the apples are tender but still hold their shape and most of the moisture has released, about 8 to 10 minutes for sliced apples or 5 to 7 minutes for diced apples. Avoid heating above 185ºF (85ºC) to prevent mushiness.
- Thicken the Filling: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with water to create a slurry. Add this to the skillet and stir continuously until the filling thickens and becomes syrupy, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract for added flavor.
- To Serve: Use the apple pie filling immediately while warm as a pie filling or topping. Alternatively, allow it to cool completely and store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use.
Notes
- Use a mix of tart and sweet apples like Granny Smith paired with Honeycrisp or Fuji for balanced flavor and texture.
- Do not overcook the apples; keep the temperature below 185ºF (85ºC) to maintain firmness.
- The cornstarch slurry is added at the end to thicken the juices into a glaze.
- This filling can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for convenient use in future desserts.
- The filling works well not only for pies but also as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe (approximately 150 g)
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
