Crab Apple Pie Filling Recipe

I really wanted to use exclamation marks after the title of this one because my first attempt at crab apple pie was such an epic failure that I was positive that there was no working recipe in my future.  So yay! this worked! it took way longer than I would usually spend on a pie but since we have thousands of large crab apples (now, and in our future), I was especially glad to have a great dessert recipe to go along with the jars and jars of crab apple jelly that we usually end up with.  Enjoy!

6 to 8 cups chopped, unpeeled crab apples (after thoroughly washing all of the apples, I simply sliced off the 4 sides)

In a large skillet, mix together the apples, water, lemon juice and brown sugar and bring to a simmer.  Cook and stir for about 10 minutes until the apples have just started to soften – they should have also released a lot of their juice.

Apple Pie Jam Recipe

Drain the whole mixture through a colander over a large bowl then put the liquid back into the skillet, and the well drained apples into the bowl.

To the skillet add the butter and maple syrup, bring it to a boil and reduce it to about a half cup if you can.  I was doing several things at once (and was using a non-stick skillet), so I left it on low and actually let it simmer for a good half hour.

To the apples, add the flour, cinnamon and salt and mix well – they will appear dry, and I couldn’t quite get all of the flour to absorb.  Preheat the oven to 450.

Easy Homemade Apple Pie {from Scratch Recipe}

Roll out your pastry as you would and fit it into the pie plate (deep dish, as usual for me) with a bit extra hanging over the edges.  Fill the prepared crust with the apple mixture then pour the reduced ‘juice’ evenly over top.  Cover with the second sheet of pastry, dampen, trim and flute the edges and cut a couple of air vents into the top.

I baked this at 450 for 10 minutes and then covered the edges with foil, or an ‘edge protector’, and turned the heat down to 350 and baked it for another 30 minutes – remember that the apples are almost cooked, but I like the bottom crust (visible through a Pyrex pie plate) to definitely be golden brown.

Allow the pie to cool for 2 to 3 hours before serving so that it can set and you can serve it in pieces.  We enjoyed this straight up, and are still super excited about it!

Apple Pie Filling Recipe (canning Directions Included)

8x8 9x13 Almonds Appetizers Apple BBQ Beans Beef Beverage Bread and Buns Breakfast Cakes Carrot Cheddar Chicken Christmas Cocktail Coconut Cookies Corn Cream Cheese Dip Freezes Well Frosting Ground Beef Lemon Loaves Make-Ahead Mexican Muffins One-pot Meal Pasta Pastry Pecan Pie Pork Potatoes Rice Salad Sauces Soup Spinach Squares Sweets TomatoesI couldn’t let this month of apples go by without telling you that I have finally figured out why people get excited about crabapples.  For 15 years I had a huge, out of control, crabapple tree in my yard that caused me nothing but grief.  The only time I liked it was during the one week a year it gave me beautiful pink blooms that blew in front of my kitchen window in the spring and made me happy.

As I helped a friend move a few weeks ago she said, let all the kids go pick crabapples!  I truly thought I would just take some of the hideous fruit and throw it away when I got home.  As three girls picked two home depot buckets full of crabapples I looked upon these beautifully dark red little crabapples and thought, these are not crabapples.  Lo and behold, they were the crabapple that everyone else gets excited about.  Who knew there was more than one type of crabapple?!

My friend’s tree is a Dolgo Crabapple and it produces tart little apples that are a delight to work with.  Her husband invented his own corer that made coring these apples fun and fast!

Crab Apple Rose Pie

I followed this recipe to make this beautiful pie.  It’s quite tart but so delicious!  Even though I have made many pies (like this one and this one) and just as many pie crusts (like this one and this one), this pie crust was the best I’ve ever made by far!

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a  food processor and pulse several times to mix.  Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the fats are about the size of a dime.  While processing continually pour in the ice-cold water until the dough forms a ball.  Place the dough on a lightly floured board and knead until the dough completely comes together without over kneading.  Cut the dough into two equally sized pieces, form into a ball, slightly flatten and wrap each disk with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for about an hour.

Right before you are ready to pull the dough out of the refrigerator, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine the crabapples, white sugar, flour and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Set aside.

Rosy Crabapple Or Apple Pie Filling

Roll out the first piece of dough until about a 1/4 inch thick, roll the dough onto the rolling pin and then lay the dough into a pie dish.  Pour the crabapple mixture into the bottom crust and place the butter and brown sugar on top of the mixture.  Roll out the top crust of dough in the same manner and after rolling the crust onto the rolling pin gently place this top crust on the pie.

Trim the edges to about 1 inch over the edge of the pie dish and then crimp the edges together.  Cut several slits in the top crust to allow the pie’s heat to vent during baking.  Brush with milk and generously sprinkle the top of the pie with turbinado sugar.

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 45o degrees for 15 minutes and then turn down the oven to 375 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until the filling is bubbling through the vents.Because crab apples are hard, steaming them for a few mins starts the cooking process. This makes sure they cook down in the oven, so you get a soft, fluffy pie filling and a perfectly crisp pastry lid.

Crab Apple Pie Recipe

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Sift in the icing sugar and add a pinch of salt. Chop in the butter. Use your finger tips to rub in the butter so you get fine breadcrumbs (if you have a food processor you can whizz it all up in there).

2. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat it. Scoop out 1 tbsp and pop in a separate bowl for later. Beat 1 tbsp ice cold water into the remaining egg, then add to the flour and butter mixture. Use a fork to bring the dough together, adding a splash more water if it needs it. Turn the dough out and pat into a smooth round. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or overnight.

3. While the pastry chills, make the pie filling. Quarter the crab apples, discarding the stems and any leaves. Use a small sharp knife to slice out the seeds and cores, being careful not to cut away too much of the apple. Put the crab apples in a steamer basket or large colander. Half fill a pan with boiling water. Rest the steamer basket/colander in the pan and clamp on a lid. Put the pan over a medium heat and steam the crab apples for 5 mins to soften them. Take off the heat and tip into a large bowl.

Apple Pie Filling

4. Add the sugar and cornflour to the crab apples. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon. Halve the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds from the pod halves. Add them to the bowl. Give everything a good stir to make sure it's well mixed and the apples are coated in the sugar.

6. Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out the pastry to make a round slightly larger than the pie plate and as thick as a £1 coin. Brush the edges of the plate with water. Roll the pastry up around the rolling pin and then unroll it over the pie plate. Use a fork to press down on the pastry and seal it to the edges of the dish. Trim off any over hanging pastry - you can use these make decorations for the pie crust.

7. Slash a little cross in the middle of the pastry lid to let out the steam. Brush the pastry with the egg you saved in step 2. Sprinkle it with a little caster sugar. Place the pie plate on a baking tray (to catch any juices that bubble over) and bake for 30 mins or till the pastry is golden brown. Serve the pie warm with cream, custard or ice cream.

Easy Apple Pie Recipe

A wonderful recipe for shortcrust pastry.