Back in August, my friend Ann and her husband Steve were busy picking apples from their very own apple tree. And this year it produced quite a number of apples! Ann told me about an easy apple pie filling she was making with these apples. It’s made in a slow cooker, and after it’s done cooking and cooling, you simply put the mixture in a freezer bag, freeze it, and it’s ready for whenever you’re wanting to make an apple pie with your favorite crust, whether it’s homemade or ready-made. Or you can use it to make an apple crisp or cobbler.
Ann gave me the recipe, along with lots and lots of apples from her tree, so I could try it out. This pie filling is so good! After making my first batch, I ate some of it just as it was and decided, in addition to pie filling, it would also be great as a warm topping for pancakes, french toast, yogurt (top vanilla or plain yogurt and some granola with it for a great breakfast or snack), and even as a topping for ice cream. It also reminds me of those fried apples at Cracker Barrel—so I think it could work great served as a fruity side dish!
An added bonus is that this apple pie filling smells so wonderful as it’s cooking, especially after the first few hours—the apples, cinnamon, and other spices give your kitchen a wonderful autumn aroma!
Ann's Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling
ANN’S SLOW COOKER APPLE PIE FILLING
Makes one 9″deep dish pie (or one 9″ square apple crisp or cobbler)
- 2 cups hot water
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 8 cups of peeled, cored, and sliced apples
In slow cooker, put 2 cups of hot water and whisk in 1/2 cup of cornstarch; whisk together until there are no lumps.
Add in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk all ingredients together; then add the sliced apples, mixing everything together.
Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally, then cool completely. After mixture cools, put in a gallon freezer bag and store in the freezer. Just take out when needed, thaw, and pour into a 9″ deep dish pie shell and bake!
Follow baking instructions from your favorite pie recipe, or if you don’t have one, you can bake at 375˚F for 50 to 60 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. If it looks like there’s too much filling for the size of your pan, just use what you need—you can always save the rest of the filling to use as a topping.
Recipe courtesy of Ann W. | nancy-c.com
This is the first time I’ve made my own apple pie filling, so I feel like I’ve really accomplished something! 🙂 Have you ever made it?
Sharing at Mix it Up Monday, Silver Pennies Sundays, Happiness is Homemade, Inspire Me Monday, Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday, Fiesta Friday, Thursday Favorite Things, Full Plate Thursday, Wonderful Wednesday, Hearth & Soul.
NancyC 
Ann sounds like an amazing friend, and I’m so glad that she brought over those apples, so you could share this recipe with us too. The filling looks delicious, and I can only imagine the smell wafting through our own house as it bakes. Thank you so much for bringing this treat to the fiesta this week, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
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Yes, Ann is pretty amazing and has a knack for finding great recipes! 🙂 Have a great weekend, too, Kaila!
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I love everything about this stuff! I think it works perfect as a little side to a savory meal too!
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This pie filing looks delicious, I can just imagine how amazing it smells. I think I’ll probably double the recipe so that I could make one pie right away and store some in the freezer for later.
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That’s a great idea! 🙂
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I would love a couple of spoonfuls over my morning oatmeal. Dessert for breakfast is a great idea.
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It would be really good over oatmeal–great idea! 🙂
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Oh yum! This apple pie filling sounds wonderful! Love the idea of making it in a slow cooker. I can imagine skipping the pie part and having it over Vanilla icecream 😀
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Yes–it’s wonderful served warm over vanilla ice cream! 🙂
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Wow Nancy this looks and sounds super luscious…. yummm
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Oh yum, Nancy! This sounds so good and so versatile. I have never heard of making apple pie filling in a crock pot. That is a great idea! I love that there are so many uses for the filling.
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Yes, I’ve never thought of making it in a crock pot before either, but it’s so good and easy to make!
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Oh wow Nancy, this looks great! Thanks for sharing at Inspiration Thursday!
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You’re welcome, Lela–hope you have a good week! 🙂
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I bet your home smelled amazing while this was cooking away.
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Yes, it sure did! 🙂
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Oh I could eat this straight from the bowl – yum!!
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thanks Nancy for this recipe I used it and made the filling ,when I finally used the filling in an apple cobbler ,wow was it delicious ,I received so many compliments thanks again.
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You’re so very welcome, Mary! Glad you liked it! 🙂
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Its confusing regarding the amount of sugar. Some have no sweetener at all and this one
2 cups for a 9 in square. Should it read 1/2 cup of sugar?
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Hi Maizie–2 cups is correct for this recipe, but if you like your filling less sweet, you can always try it with less sugar!
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My mouth is watering! I can just imagine how wonderful this would make my kitchen smell while it was cooking all day!
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Yes, it really does smell wonderful, Cherryl! 🙂
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Oh, I need to do this! Pinning!
#wonderfulwednesday
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Hope you enjoy this, Jennifer! 🙂
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This Apple Pie Filling will be delicious! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
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