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Caramel Apple Pie Filling

Processing: Boiling Water Canner 25 minutes
(half-pints, pints, quarts)
Storage: 12 months +
Yield: 4 cups per batch
        
Make homemade apple pies in minutes! Simply pour into a pie shell, cover with the top and bake. Quart (950ml) jars are great for family-sized pies; half pint (1-cup) jars of canned pie filling make approx 4 x mini pies. Pie filling is also delicious stirred through homemade yoghurt or used as a topping on cheesecake, pastries, pancakes, ice-cream or other desserts.
     
PLEASE NOTE: This recipe makes 1 x quart jar. To make larger batches, multiply by the number of jars you wish to make (we recommend using 2 or 3 large pans for large batches) or refer to the chart at the end of this recipe.
          
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups peeled apple slices (or cubes)
water, for cooking
1 1/2 cups apple juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice       
  
Prepare jars.
Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill.
     
Prepare fruit.
Wash, peel and core apples. Cut into thick slices. Place apple slices into a bowl of water (with half a lemon squeezed in the water) to prevent browning whilst preparing the remainder. Using a slotted spoon, place apple slices into a pan in a single layer. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer apple slices for 1 minute, then use the slotted spoon to remove to a bowl, and repeat with remaining apple slices in the pan. Cover fruit to stay hot.
          
Make fruit pie filling.
Whisk sugar, Thermflo and the water together. Heat until thick. Remove from heat. Whisk in the bottled lemon juice. Immediately stir the apple slices into the pie filling, adding extra apple juice if too thick, and bottle immediately.   
   
Prepare lids.
Place lids into a bowl of boiled water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.
   
Ladle hot pie filling into hot jars.
Immediately ladle the hot fruit pie filling into hot jars, leaving 1inch (2.5cm) headspace. Remove bubbles, check headspace is correct, then wipe rims with damp paper towel then seal.
   
Process jars in a boiling water canner.  
Process in a boiling water bath canner for 25 minutes (add an extra 5 minutes of processing if adding dried fruit or nuts, as listed in flavour ideas below), adjusting for altitude if required by following chart below. Start timer once water returns to a full boil. When time is up, turn heat off and rest jars in water for 5 minutes before placing onto a towel-covered bench overnight to cool.
    
Processing Time for Caramel Apple Pie Filling in a Boiling Water Canner
Style of Pack
Jar Size
Altitude
0 – 1,000ft
Altitude
1,001 – 3,000ft
Altitude
3,001 – 6,000ft
Altitude
≥6,000ft
Hot
Half-pint
Pint
Quart
25 minutes
30 minutes
35 minutes
40 minutes
www.foodpreserving.org
  
Next day: check for seals.
Check jars have sealed before labelling and storing in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 12 months. Jar lids should not flex up or down when pressed. Please note fruit pie fillings will have tiny bubbles present after processing.    
  
FLAVOUR IDEAS:
  • Add 1 teaspoon ground spice: try cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg or vanilla;
  • Add lemon zest;
  • Replace 1/4 cup sugar with a few tablespoons of honey;
  • Add a little liqueur to your pie filling: try brandy, kirsch or rum;
  • For something different, add 1/4 cup pecan or walnut halves, or raisins. If adding these, process for an extra 5 minutes.
    

Caramel Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

1 Quart (4 cups)

7 Quarts (28 cups)

Apples, peeled, cored, sliced

3 ½ cups

24 ½ cups

Apple juice

1 ½ cups

10 ½ cups

Brown sugar

¾ cup

5 ¼ cups

Thermflo (or ClearJel)

¼ cup

1 ¾ cups

Bottled lemon juice

3 tablespoons

1 ¼ cups

www.foodpreserving.org
   
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOGRAPHS HERE
   


Acknowledgement 
Kaya Wanjoo. Food Preserving kaditj kalyakoorl moondang-ak kaaradj midi boodjar-ak nyininy, yakka wer waabiny, Noongar moort. Ngala kaditj baalap kalyakoorl nidja boodjar wer kep kaaradjiny, baalap moorditj nidja yaakiny-ak wer moorditj moort wer kaditj Birdiya wer yeyi.
Hello and Welcome. Food Preserving acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and play, the Nyoongar people. We recognise their connection to the land and local waterways, their resilience and commitment to community and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
 
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