I went apple picking the other day and ended up with two large bags of high acidity apples. They’re not my favourite for just eating, but they’re perfect for packing into jars with a homemade cinnamon-spiced syrup.
Which is what this recipe is. It’s an apple pie without the crust and it comes in a jar, perfecting for spooning into a bowl with ice cream (or nice cream) just eating as is. I made it for the first time in 2012 and have been making it ever since. In case you’re wondering, my sleeping problems have only gotten worse, and my former Dutch roommate is back in Holland, where he hopefully sleeps soundly and eats lots of apples, whether in a pie, a jar or on their own.
Apple Pie in a Jar
Yield: 5 one-litre jars, adapted from All Recipes.com. It needed way more lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Especially lemon juice. Start with 1/4 cup, then taste and add more if necessary. I don’t think I messed it up…
- 4 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 7 1/2 cups water
- 1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice
- 6 pounds apples (any kind, really, but sweet and sour macIntosh or something like them are good)
- Sterilize canning jars and rings by boiling them in a large canning pot of water for 10 minutes.
- In a large pot, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add water and whisk again. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Adjust to taste. Don’t add more sugar unless it’s really, really bland, because the apples will be very sweet.
- Peel, core, and slice apples. Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Shake jars to stuff in more apple slices.
- Add canning lids to hot water (do not boil).
- Fill jars with hot syrup, and gently remove air bubbles with a chopstick or other non-metallic long, thin utensil.
- Wipe rims, put lids on and process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.
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