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This apple pie filling for the freezer is beyond easy! Freezing apple pie filling is an easy way to preserve apples for a warm & gooey apple pie all winter long.
Apple pie filling can be used in far more than apple pie, you know. Crisps, turnovers, with pancakes, oatmeal…loads of things! That’s why I love to keep a couple of bags in my freezer -ready to go– during the winter months when a warm, gooey apple dessert tastes best.
It’s so simple, you can put up several bags in no time!
Do you visit an apple orchard in the fall? We frequently do. Fresh-picked fruit straight from the tree..yes, please! I also watch for sales at the grocery to stock up. And a couple of times, we have hit the apple jackpot.
My parents have some friends who own an orchard that sells direct to grocery stores. They always have bushels of apples that can’t go to stores due to blemishes. Kindly, they bless friends with these seconds. It was upon receiving more apples than I knew what to do with that I found this recipe.
And I’ve been making it ever since.
Apple Pie Filling
Be sure to start with apples that lend themselves to baking. Our generous apple donors grew Honeycrisp. (As if getting piles of apples isn’t good enough…they were Honeycrisp!!) Some other varieties that work well are: Granny Smith, Cortland, Fuji, Jonagold, and Braeburn. Mixing apple varieties is always yummy, too.
Today, I’m freezing a mix of Honeycrisp, Fuji and a variety called ‘Sweet Tango’.
First, you need to peel your apples. Then, slice them up. Here’s how I do it:
I cut off the ‘cheeks’ of the apples.
Then slice each one into fairly thin slices.
As you slice them up, drop the slices in a bowl of cold water with some lemon juice squeezed in it. Once you collect 4-6 cups of sliced apples, it’s time to mix up your sugar and spice mixture. A little flour is added for thickening, too. Then cut up 2 Tablespoons of cold butter into pretty small pieces. Mix this all together in a gallon sized Ziploc bag.
Then it’s as easy as draining your apples, dumping them into the bag, and mushing it all together.
When I’m doing lots of bags, I usually mix the sugar and spices up directly in the bags and set up a kind of assembly line, draining and adding apples as soon as I’ve got enough for a bag.
To use the apple pie filling, thaw it enough to be able to squeeze every bit of goodness out of the bag. Dump it into your pie shell. Top with another crust, or crumbles. (Or if you’re making an apple crisp, just thaw and dump it into a square baking dish and top with your crisp mixture). Bake as usual.
To make a sweet topping for pancakes or oatmeal or cake..or anything else your heart desires… just heat the filling up in a saucepan. Cook until apples are soft, but not mushy…about 15 minutes.
If you find yourself with an abundance of apples this fall, this is a fantastic way to preserve the goodness. Heck, it’s worth buying extra apples just for this apple pie filling! Then, this winter, you’ll have a quick way to whip up a warm and delicious apple dessert.
You will thank yourself for thinking ahead…
…and while you’re thinking ahead, grab some ice cream to go with your pie!
Ingredients
- 4-6 cups of peeled, sliced apples
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
- squeeze of lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Instructions
- As you peel and slice apples, place the slices in a bowl of cold water with a bit of lemon juice (fresh or bottled) squeezed in.
- Mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter.
- Put mixture in a labeled, gallon-sized Ziploc bag.
- Drain apples and add to bag.
- Shake to coat with sugar and spice mixture.
- Seal bag, removing as much air as possible.
- Store in freezer.
- To Use:
- Remove bag from freezer and thaw a bit. Dump mixture into pie shell, top with another crust or crumbles. To make apple crisp, thaw and pour everything from bag into a square baking dish and top with crisp mixture. Bake as usual.
Elizabeth @ Ellie and Elizabeth says
October 11, 2016 at 10:24 amWhat a great idea! I’m just starting to do a lot of freezer meals but hadn’t thought of desserts. I pinned for later, gotta go get some apples!
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Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 12:48 pmGreat! I hope you like it as much as we do. There’s nothing like a quick, warm dessert on a cold night!
Alana says
October 11, 2016 at 11:20 amSo easy sounding! I used to pick apples years ago but it would still be worth the price to buy some nice fresh apples now that it is apple season now.
Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 12:47 pmI haven’t got apple-picking in a few years, either. But the grocery has such a great variety at really good prices, it’s definitely worth stocking up! We have loads right now.
Barbara says
October 11, 2016 at 11:41 amYum. Great idea. Apples are my favorite food. 🙂
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Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 12:46 pmGood choice of a favorite food!
Tammy Rome says
October 11, 2016 at 1:37 pmThis is brilliant! It’s apple season and there are no shortage of farmer’s markets and local orchards nearby to stock up. Yummy!
Tammy Rome recently posted…Complex Migraine Is Not A Diagnosis!
Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 9:10 pmThanks for stopping by, Tammy!
Alice Gerard says
October 11, 2016 at 1:58 pmYum. Nice recipe. Looks delicious. I haven’t made apple pie because I’m clueless about crusts, but I make plenty of applesauce, using a variety of apples. I don’t peel the apples, however, but I do use a food mill. Thank you for this colorful (and delicious) post.
Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 9:06 pmAlice, I’ll tell you the truth…I never make my own crusts. I’ve done it, and they never taste as good as the ones from Trader Joes, in my opinion. They are refrigerator crusts, but they are in the freezer section. And they last such a long time!
Jane Porterfield says
October 11, 2016 at 2:38 pmOh my goodness, talk about a whole bag of goodness! This time of year, with the leaves turning and the weather cooling down, I find myself going for warm comfort foods likes soups and chowders. And the apple harvest finally brings fresh ones to the stores once again. Such a bunch of yummy.
The last time I made pancakes, I did exactly as you suggest with a couple of apples. It was nice change from using syrup. I think the apple pie filling would be really good with oatmeal as well.
Thanks for sharing the deliciousness!
Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 8:57 pmIsn’t it funny how our tastes change with the seasons like that? I’ve noticed that my craving for stews and all its warm, comforting friends has started. It’s nice to have things like this on hand. I hope you enjoy it!
Martha says
October 11, 2016 at 7:39 pmOMG, this is perfect for me! I love apple crisp but usually don’t have apples when I have the craving. This is so cool, I printed the recipe to have on hand. Thank you!
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Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 8:51 pmMartha, I’m thrilled that you are so excited about this. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Jennifer Bay says
October 11, 2016 at 9:38 pmThanks for sharing that wonderful recipe!!! I will be sure to try it out, I love apple pie! And this will save so much time!
Susan says
October 11, 2016 at 11:19 pmEnjoy it! I’m so glad you stopped by. Be blessed–
Debbie Kitterman says
October 13, 2016 at 9:36 pmSusan – thank you so much ! We have a very mature tree that when we bought out house 2 years ago had never produced apples…. but the previous owners had it pruned to make the view better before selling and well, it kicked it into producing apples, but the last 2 year, they were not great – this year however… it has finally started to grow and the fruit is amazing and perfect for apple pie. I have printed and will be making this delicious goodness.
Susan says
October 13, 2016 at 10:02 pmDebbie, I SO want an apple tree in my yard. When we moved to our new home several years ago I checked in to getting one and found the most clever saying when I did a search for the best time to plant apple trees. It said, “The best time to plant an apple tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is today.” 🙂 I still don’t have one. Enjoy yours!!
bushra nausheen says
October 14, 2016 at 5:06 amit looks so yum & time saving for me will surely try
Susan says
October 14, 2016 at 10:43 amEnjoy!
Jennifer Kelly says
October 14, 2016 at 1:45 pmWhat a great idea Susan. I never thought of freezing it. I try to make everything I can at once lol. I am going to do this now. My cookie cups came out so amazing you have to try them and let me know how you like them! 🙂
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Susan says
October 14, 2016 at 2:39 pmJennifer, I thought about using these apples when I saw your cookie recipe! Thanks for stopping by.
Richella Parham says
October 20, 2016 at 8:41 amThis is such a great idea! Thank you for sharing your recipe and technique. I’ve pinned this for future reference.
Thank you for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
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Susan says
October 20, 2016 at 10:27 amThanks, Richella! I hope you love it as much as we do! And thanks, also, for featuring my post. That makes my day!
Lynn Spencer says
October 22, 2016 at 6:52 pmApple Pie is my all time favorite dessert, so I should surely make some filling so that I have it whenever the craving starts. Thanks for the suggestion and the recipe.
Enjoy your Honeycrisps…they are so yummy..
Have a great weekend.
Lynn
Susan says
October 23, 2016 at 4:24 pmThanks for stopping by, Lynn. Hope you enjoy the pie filling as much as we do!
Kimberly says
October 17, 2017 at 9:01 pmHow long and what temperature do you make the pie when you are ready to make it?
Susan says
October 17, 2017 at 10:50 pmHi Kimberly, You can really use any pie recipe you like. Most that I found recommend baking at 375-400 for 45-55 minutes.
McKinzie | Today Mommy says
September 8, 2018 at 11:28 pmYum!! I just found this on Pinterest. We moved last year and now have an apple tree and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with this year’s crop. We’ve made applesauce and dehydrated apple chips, but I’d love to make some bags of this for the freezer!
Susan says
September 9, 2018 at 4:09 pmFantastic! So glad you found this. It’s such an easy recipe to put up!
Courtney says
October 9, 2018 at 11:02 amDo you use unsalted butter? How what temperature do you bake the pie at?
Susan says
October 9, 2018 at 3:44 pmI use salted butter myself, but if you want to be more in control of the salt, you could certainly use unsalted. As to the temp…I have seen different ones in different pie recipes. I usually bake mine around 400 degrees, and cover the edges if they start to get too dark.