Home canned Apple Pie Filling!

Lori Fiechter again, using up the rest of my pint canning jars! I will make another batch of this apple pie filling early next week before we take the ugly apples to the cider mill. I ran out of time today since we went to the Johnny Appleseed Festival (how appropriate is that!)

When I make this next week, I'm not going to bother with the crockpot; I don't have the patience for that. I'll just cook it on the stove and risk getting splashed a bit with hot filling. This would make a great topping for pancakes, yogurt, or ice cream.

Anyway, here is the recipe:

Apple Pie Filling –makes 6-7 pints

20 cups peeled and chopped apples (apples that hold their shape. I used Jonathans, Jonagold, and Fuji)
4 T. lemon juice (instead, I just used a big pan with about ½ gallon of water and 1 tsp. of citric acid powder to keep the apples from browning)
2 cups water ( I used cider because I had it on hand)
4 -6 T. cornstarch (depending on how thick you want it, how much you cook it down)
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1/3 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown)
½ tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Put the chopped apples in the pan of water with either lemon juice or citric acid powder. Make the syrup by whisking the cornstarch into the cold water (or cider), add the sugars and spices and cook until thick and bubbly—around 3-5 minutes. Put the apples in a large, heavy pan and pour the sauce over it. Cook on the stove until apples are tender and thickened, about an hour. Process pint jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.