Freezer Apple Pie Filling

Apple Pie Filling

Original Recipe Yield 5 - 9 inch pies

Ingredients

· 24 cups thinly sliced apples

· 3 tablespoons lemon juice

· 2 cups water

· 2 ¼ cups white sugar

· 2 ¼ cups brown sugar

· 1 cup cornstarch

· 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

· 1 teaspoon salt

· ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

· 10 cups water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and 2 cups water and set aside. Pour water into a large cooking pot and heat over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water (*It is important that the water is only lukewarm when you add these ingredients or else the cornstarch will clump up!), stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Drain and add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

3. Ladle into 5 freezer bags. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.

4. Seal and freeze. Don't forget to put the bags in a container to freeze uniformly. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

*Notes: You may want to use a firmer apple (like a granny smith, not a golden delicious) that will hold its shape well with heating, freezing, then reheating so that your pie isn’t just mush. Also, as these apples are already somewhat cooked you may need to reduce the bake time when it comes to actually baking your apple pie.

If you want to take this idea a bit further, try making and freezing your own pie crust. J (But if you want to try that, I would recommend you freeze the unbaked pie crust separate from the filling so that the crust doesn’t get slimy.)