This is Not your Gramma's Pie Filling!

Several yrs ago I found a recipe for an Apple Cider Pie. It was awesome and from that day on, I would make this pie for Thanksgiving. http://mermaidstreasures.blogspot.com/2007/09/apple-cider-pie.html

But this requires you to boil down a bottle of cider to make a thick syrup to add to your mix. Sometimes I just dont have time. And then I ran across a recipe for canned pie filling. I just bought several lbs. of Honeycrisp apples. These are a fairly new apple but very tasty to eat out of hand. They are sweet and yet a bit tart, very, very good. And so I decided to make some pie filling to keep on hand, using these apples.

I can never leave a recipe alone. I read them and then think ooooo I could use this or .......maybe Ill add this and change that. And so I did this with the filling recipe only I added the things that would make it the wonderful apple cider pie filling instead so I could have that anytime. Now you dont cook the cider down for this, it gets thickened tho. But it tastes heavenly!

Apple Pie Filling  Makes 7 qts.

4 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 cups apple cider
Juice of one lemon
7 quarts peeled, cored and sliced apples (about 7lbs.) (Toss with some Fruit fresh or Vit. C.)

Place a rack in the bottom of a large stock pot. Fill pot with hot water. Sterilize 7 1-quart canning jars, 7 lids, and 7 rings by placing on rack, jars upright. Bring water to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Remove with a holder and allow jars to air-dry. Save water for processing apples.

(Sorry for fuzzy pic but this is the thickened syrup to fill the jars with)

Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cider in a large saucepan. Place over high heat and cook until thick and bubbly, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

 Tightly pack apples into sterilized jars. Slowly pour syrup over apples, covering them completely. Gently tap jars on counter top to allow air bubbles to rise. If syrup doesn't drip down, run a butter knife around the sides and up and down till it starts to fill in. Keep doing it till the jar is full. Leave 1in. head space. Be sure to wipe off rims and threads of jar so it will seal good.  Screw lids on jars.

Carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between jars. Add more boiling water if necessary, until tops of jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Bring water to a full boil, then cover and process for 30 minutes.
Remove jars from pot and place on cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press top of each lid with finger, ensuring that seal is tight (lid doesn't move up or down at all). Sealed jars can be stored for up to a year.

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Ok , I tested this today. I used one jar and made an Apple Streusel pie..........it was the bomb! This apple filling is the best Ive ever had. The Honeycrisp apples were very good too.