Name: Paleo Canned Apple Pie Filling
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 Cups Coconut Sugar (Anthony’s Organic Coconut Sugar); 3/4 Cup Organic Arrowroot powder (or sure gel -not paleo, or no thickener agent); 2 Teaspoons Salt; 1 Tablespoon Organic Cinnamon (or less if you like); 1/2 Teaspoon Organic Nutmeg; 1/4 Teaspoon Organic Cloves; 2 Cups Organic Maple Syrup; 9 Cups Water; 1 Cup Organic Apple Cider (Optional); 1 Teaspoons Citric Acid or 4 tablespoons Bottled Lemon Juice for (PH and more for browning prevention); 5 1/2-6 Lbs Organic Apples about (24 apples)

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This delicious and healthy Paleo Canned Apple Pie Filling recipe is perfect for the holiday season! Made with whole food organic ingredients, you can indulge without the guilt. Perfect to make and can ahead of time to save you during the busy holidays, makes a great gift too!

Canning is really quite easy, anyone can do it! Just a few tools needed and some time to prep and process. It’s such a great way to make meals ahead of time so you have something to make a quick dinner or dessert for when your strapped for time, with whole food ingredients! This is so especially helpful if your like me and have diet restrictions that aren’t usually met at family gatherings.

Why should you can and preserve home cooked meals?

Save freezer space with canned meals! I love preserving food especially since I started reading food labels! When I make my own food storage I know exactly what I’m eating to nourish and protect my body. Keeping heathy whole foods cooked and ready to eat is a life saver in these busy times. Whenever you get a surplus of fruit and veggies from the garden or store, take a weekend to process them so you have prepared meals when you need them later on. You’ll thank yourself! I feel so accomplished whenever I eat my canned, dehydrated, or freeze dried foods. You can taste the love that goes into your food!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

This easy recipe makes 7 Quart Jars of Paleo Canned Apple Pie Filling.
Use 1 Quart Jar to make 1 Apple Pie! Quick dump and bake recipe!
Serve over pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, use your imagination, the skies the limit!
No peeling necessary
Saves time when baking pies later on!
Choose your fighter (method) options for those who want to choose hot pack vs cold pack
coconut sugar and maple syrup are great alternatives to cane sugar, with slightly lower GI than cane sugar. Though yes sugar is still sugar and should be eaten in moderation for optimal health.
Coconut sugar also contains the soluble fiber inulin, which is linked to a lower risk of blood sugar spikes.

Sanitizing Your Equipment

You need to sanitize all your equipment, kitchen surfaces and hands. I like to throw all my jars and lids into the dishwasher and run ahead of time if i can. You can also boil your jars in the waterbath for 10 mins to sanitize them before you fill them. This is important to keep germs out of your food so it stores properly. The lids no longer need to be boiled according to the latest ball updates, just make sure to wash thoroughly.

The importance of PH/Acidity in canning

The Lemon juice or citric acid in this recipe is to increase acidity so that you can safely can for shelf stable food. If using lemon juice make sure to use bottled as that has a known PH level, when it comes to regular lemons the PH varies from lemon to lemon. So to be safe use bottled lemon or citric acid or vinegar. This will help prevent botulism. 1/4 tsp citric acid= 1 tbl bottled lemon juice

What type of apples should I use when canning?

Honestly any type of apple will work, so you can just pick your favorite! If you want to lean towards the sweeter side go with a sweeter red type apple. I recently went to an apple orchard and picked till my heart’s content from multiple types of apple trees, I used them all in my Paleo Canned Apple Pie Filling recipe, and they turned out delicious!

Arrowroot Powder Vs Clear Gel (Thickening Agents)

Why do people use arrowroot or clear gel in pie fillings?

Thickening agents are used in pie fillings to thicken the sauce. What you use when making filling isn’t to important unless you are canning. Clear gel is what is recommended for canning due to safety. There are warnings that to use anything other than clear gel such as cornstarch, tapioca, arrowroot, could result in canning failure. Due to the heat penetration of these products is poor and may interfere with the destruction of bacteria during the canning process. Since I and other health conscious people don’t feel comfortable eating clear gel which is chemically modified corn starch, you can choose your alternative. If you want to follow the extra safe route and remain paleo, opt to cook the filling without any thickening agents! You can instead add it to the mixture right before you cook it in a pie.
I personally used arrowroot but that’s my choice. I feel comfortable with that since I know I’ll be using my pie fillings within the next couple of months.
So keep that mind, choose whether or not you want to use a thickening agent before or after canning.

canning tongs, de-bubbler and jar funnel

Tools needed

Tools needed
Canner/Waterbath/large pot (enough to fill with quart jars and have 2 inch water coverage)
Jar Funnel
canning tongs
de-bubbler or spatula
Wide Mouth Jars, lids, and rings (7)
Towel
Apple slicer or peeler/corer or knife
large cooking pot
Ladle

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Coconut Sugar Anthony’s Organic Coconut Sugar
3/4 Cup Organic Arrowroot powder or sure gel -not paleo, or no thickener agent
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Organic Cinnamon or less if you like
1/2 Teaspoon Organic Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Organic Cloves
2 Cups Organic Maple Syrup
9 Cups Water
1 Cup Organic Apple Cider Optional
1 Teaspoons Citric Acid or 4 tablespoons Bottled Lemon Juice for PH and more for browning prevention
5 1/2-6 Lbs Organic Apples about 24 apples

The Method

How to Make Canned Paleo Apple Pie Filling

Sanitize Jars and lids and set aside on towel.

You can peel the apples if you want, I typically don’t as it takes more time and i find it unnecessary. Keep those skins on for some added nutrients! I like to use a simple apple cutter/slicer, which slices the apples into 12 pieces and removes the core. I like the size of these cuts, depending on the size of the apple of course. You can also use a kitchen aid attachment for peeling and slicing or a traditional peeler, and cutter. Or do it all by hand with a knife. I recommend the simple slicer/corer.

Once you cut the apples, you can place them in a bowl with water and lemon juice to prevent browning, this isn’t required and I don’t always do it since the apples will be canned in a dark sauce and then usually baked in a pie.

Hot pack Vs Cold pack-There is an extra step that you can take to help prevent siphoning and floating apples. The Hot Pack Method-That would be to blanch the cut apples in boiling water for 1 minute to release the trapped air bubbles from the apples to help prevent them from floating up in the jar and siphoning.

What is Siphoning? This happens sometimes when jars were overfilled, and air pushes everything up and overflows from the canning lid. Which can cause a bad seal. This has happened to me a few times when I removed the jars from the water, they immediately started to overflow. In this case you can clean them up (lids and jar) and re process them within 24 hours or stick them in the fridge and eat sooner than later.

-Another method is to put the apples into the pot with the cooked filling, then add to jars.

Cold packing is when you put the freshly cut apples straight into the jar, then top with filling. Take your pick, I’ve tried them all.

Heat the water bath/canner up.

Cook the filling, add dry ingredients first then whisk in wet ingredients (except citric acid/lemon juice, bring to a boil , the add your citric acid. Cook for 1 minute more.

Dry ingredients in pot for apple pie filling

Depending on the packing method you choose, fill the jars with apple then filling (cold pack/hot pack or apple/filling mixture, leaving 1 inch of headspace, I like to fill up to the shoulders of the jar, Leaving 1 inch of headspace.

Wipe rims clean with a clean cloth or paper towel damp with white vinegar or water.

Add rings just until finger tight, not to tight not too loose.

Lower jars with canning tongs into water bath/canner, bring to a boil.

Once water reaches a boil, start timer for 25 minutes depending on your altitude.

Once time is up, turn off heat and allow jars to cool in water for 10 mins or more before removing to help prevent siphoning.

Allow jars to rest for 24 hours before you test the seals , if all the seals are down then they are good. Use unsealed jars right away or store in fridge to use sometime that week.

Store with rings off, to help prevent a false seal for up to a year or more depending.

Why did my jars siphon/boil over/leak?

Tips to prevent Siphoning

Par boil apples for 1 min to release air
Leave enough headspace in jar ( 1 inch, or just under jar shoulder)
Once time is up turn off heat and leave jars in canner for 10 mins or so before removing
Remove jars without tilting them
If siphoning occurs, and the lids seal you can clean up the outside of the jar and store. Though the seal might not last long since debris is now between it and the jar. You can always remove lid, wash and re-can, or just use sooner than later, in case seal fails.

Make an Apple Pie using this Paleo Apple Pie Filling and my Paleo Pie Crust Recipe.