• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Life Jolie logo
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work with me!
    • Video Production
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work with me!
    • Video Production
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    The Life Jolie » Dessert » Apple Pie Filling

    Apple Pie Filling

    Published: Sep 28, 2015 · Modified: Jul 6, 2022 by Jessy Freimann · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! This is great for the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    This post contains Affiliate Links. Please see the disclaimer here.

    I strive to be as real and authentic as possible, both in life and on this blog. I think I do a good job of really being myself on here, with the exception of the large amount of f-bombs and other profane terms that I'm ashamed to admit I use often throughout the day. And I mostly leave those out because I'm trying to work them out of my vocabulary before A inevitably starts repeating them. But today I'm going to be real with you about my screw-ups in the kitchen.

    Once in a while, a situation presents itself that in practice is a comedy of errors and in hindsight is an excellent learning experience. These situations serve to knock us down a few notches and remind us that we are simply human. One such situation, which continued over the course of a couple weeks recently occurred for me. It may or may not have ended with me curled up in a little ball of hormonal tears cursing pastry dough and remembering why I don't often bake outside of my comfort zone. It also ended with J telling me "In the words of my friend Elsa, let it go. And like my girl Taylor says, shake it off." I was not amused by those helpful "anecdotes" from J but don't worry, I eventually started talking to him again!

    I will be the first one to tell you that I am not a cooking expert. I have no professional kitchen training (save for a short period that I got to spend in a restaurant kitchen, training to manage the back-of-house before heading to my hired position as a front-of house manager- super fun and informative but still, no expert!). I am also definitely not a baking expert. Yes, I know what tastes great and often make delicious foods. But I wouldn't call that expertise.

    I think I was getting a bit cocky for a while there because in the recent past, much of my baking consisted of family recipes which I've made countless times with much success. These recipes are in my muscles and my mind. They are safe and foolproof for me. Unfortunately, I got a bit too confident and forgot that my levels of success are varying at best outside of these safe recipes when it comes to baking.

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! Click on the photo to read more...

    So with apple season finally getting into full swing I got super excited about the idea of making caramel apple hand pies. Because who doesn't love their own personal pie that they can carry with them and enjoy? It seemed like an excellent and simple idea: make a delicious filling, drizzle it with pre-made caramel and get some store-bought pie crust, since Jessy and scratch-made pastry dough don't mix unless my mom is there to talk me through each step/talk me off the ledge when I'm about to screw it up.

    In theory it seemed simple enough. So I got to work. I started by making a filling that is a variation of my Grandma Eve's Peach Cobbler filling, with a few changes to accommodate apples. Once the filling was prepared, I tasted a bit and could not have been more thrilled with the results. Excellent.

    So I laid out everything I needed and began assembling the hand pies. I had a hard time getting them to close without leaking filling, even when I put in less filling. But I popped them onto the pan, said a prayer and put them into the oven.

    The moment I removed them, I knew that these would not work. They were cracked and leaking juices all over the place. I even asked J to look at them and tell me honestly if I could move forward with them. He was very quick to say no. I was bummed, of course. They tasted delicious (my coworkers were thrilled when I brought them in- they went quickly!). And I knew I had to try again since the flavors were definitely there.

    So fast forward to this past weekend. I originally planned a pie, but scraping together every ounce of optimism I had left, I instead opted to make two medium-ish Galettes. After all, they're supposed to look rustic. I figured this would make them a little more forgiving.

    Once again, I prepared my delicious filling. I laid out everything I needed ahead of time. I decided to roll out the dough a bit more so that each Galette would be a tad larger. And without thinking, I began assembling the Galette right there on the table. Spoon in filling, drizzle caramel, crimp sides, brush on egg wash and sprinkle turbanado sugar. It looked gorgeous until I realized that I had to transfer it to the pan.

    That's when everything fell apart. Literally. The warm filling had softened the dough enough that it completely fell apart leaving me a sad, gooey pile of dough and filling that was just not salvageable. At this point there were some profanities. So I scraped my mess off the table, assembled the other Galette on the pan this time and popped it in the oven to bake.

    I then waited and had a quick pregnant cry/mini-freakout that I would not have an accurate baking time for two Galettes, which is what I was trying to accomplish with the amount of filling and dough I had. When the Galette was ready it looked decent enough- a bit cracked with a few small leaks but I attempted to get some photos.

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! CLick on the photo to read more...

    Getting it off the pan was another story. I had lined it with greased foil for my own convenience. But with the delicate pastry dough already flaking, I was a bit scared of transferring it to it's plate. We ultimately had to transfer the foil to a cutting board, loosen it with an offset spatula (my thinnest spatula), invert it onto a plate and turn it once again onto another plate to have it face up. The results were slightly more squished and cracked, but still delicious.

    While I ultimately brought it later to a dinner party with family where it got rave reviews for flavor, it's still not at the quality of a recipe that I want to share on here. I think a large part of my problem was using store-bought pie crust. In the past, my most successful Galettes are made with scratch-dough and they avoided the aforementioned leaks and cracks. But at this moment I'm a little defeated with pie and need to take a step back from this recipe. Apple pie and I are taking a break.

    Still, the filling is the true star of the show. I can't not share that. Everyone needs a delicious apple pie filling to turn to. It's a great option for you to use for whatever variation of apple pie works- from a frozen pie crust (can I just say: they're much easier to work with than the refrigerated crusts that you roll out. This probably should have been my route from the get-go) to scratch made Galettes or hand pies.

    And maybe, once I've licked my wounds and rekindled my friendship with Apple Pie, I will give this another go and have an actual pie recipe to go with and some new, much prettier photos. In the meantime, I leave you with this Apple Pie Filling- it truly is such a tasty and easy recipe and makes enough filling for two medium Galettes or one to two apple pies depending on what size pie you're making.

    Other great pie recipes:

    Peppermint Ice Cream Pie

    Rosie's Award Winning Cherry Cheese Pie

    Helpful tools:

    Pie Plate

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! Click on the photo to read more...

    Apple Pie Filling

    Jessy Freimann
    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! This is great for the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Cooling time 10 mins
    Total Time 22 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 pie

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 large apples peeled, cored and sliced (I used 20 Ounce apples for baking, the hold their shape really well. Another good option would be Cortland, just make sure they're larger or add an additional apple)
    • A squirt of lemon juice
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon if you really love cinnamon you could even add an additional 1 teaspoon to the listed amount
    • ½ cup water
    • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

    Instructions
     

    • Place apples all ingredients into pot over medium high heat. Stir well to combine.
    • Once the mixture starts bubbling, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the apples have softened a bit (be aware, they will soften a but more during baking).
    • Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool a bit before assembling your pie, as per the instructions of the dough you use.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! Click on the photo to read more...

    So with apple season finally getting into full swing I got super excited about the idea of making caramel apple hand pies. Because who doesn’t love their own personal pie that they can carry with them and enjoy? It seemed like an excellent and simple idea: make a delicious filling, drizzle it with pre-made caramel and get some store-bought pie crust, since Jessy and scratch-made pastry dough don’t mix unless my mom is there to talk me through each step/talk me off the ledge when I’m about to screw it up.

    In theory it seemed simple enough. So I got to work. I started by making a filling that is a variation of my Grandma Eve’s Peach Cobbler filling, with a few changes to accommodate apples. Once the filling was prepared, I tasted a bit and could not have been more thrilled with the results. Excellent.

    So I laid out everything I needed and began assembling the hand pies. I had a hard time getting them to close without leaking filling, even when I put in less filling. But I popped them onto the pan, said a prayer and put them into the oven.

    The moment I removed them, I knew that these would not work. They were cracked and leaking juices all over the place. I even asked J to look at them and tell me honestly if I could move forward with them. He was very quick to say no. I was bummed, of course. They tasted delicious (my coworkers were thrilled when I brought them in- they went quickly!). And I knew I had to try again since the flavors were definitely there.

    So fast forward to this past weekend. I originally planned a pie, but scraping together every ounce of optimism I had left, I instead opted to make two medium-ish Galettes. After all, they’re supposed to look rustic. I figured this would make them a little more forgiving.

    Once again, I prepared my delicious filling. I laid out everything I needed ahead of time. I decided to roll out the dough a bit more so that each Galette would be a tad larger. And without thinking, I began assembling the Galette right there on the table. Spoon in filling, drizzle caramel, crimp sides, brush on egg wash and sprinkle turbanado sugar. It looked gorgeous until I realized that I had to transfer it to the pan.

    That’s when everything fell apart. Literally. The warm filling had softened the dough enough that it completely fell apart leaving me a sad, gooey pile of dough and filling that was just not salvageable. At this point there were some profanities. So I scraped my mess off the table, assembled the other Galette on the pan this time and popped it in the oven to bake.

    I then waited and had a quick pregnant cry/mini-freakout that I would not have an accurate baking time for two Galettes, which is what I was trying to accomplish with the amount of filling and dough I had. When the Galette was ready it looked decent enough- a bit cracked with a few small leaks but I attempted to get some photos.

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! CLick on the photo to read more...

    Getting it off the pan was another story. I had lined it with greased foil for my own convenience. But with the delicate pastry dough already flaking, I was a bit scared of transferring it to it’s plate. We ultimately had to transfer the foil to a cutting board, loosen it with an offset spatula (my thinnest spatula), invert it onto a plate and turn it once again onto another plate to have it face up. The results were slightly more squished and cracked, but still delicious.

    While I ultimately brought it later to a dinner party with family where it got rave reviews for flavor, it’s still not at the quality of a recipe that I want to share on here. I think a large part of my problem was using store-bought pie crust. In the past, my most successful Galettes are made with scratch-dough and they avoided the aforementioned leaks and cracks. But at this moment I’m a little defeated with pie and need to take a step back from this recipe. Apple pie and I are taking a break.

    Still, the filling is the true star of the show. I can’t not share that. Everyone needs a delicious apple pie filling to turn to. It’s a great option for you to use for whatever variation of apple pie works- from a frozen pie crust (can I just say: they’re much easier to work with than the refrigerated crusts that you roll out. This probably should have been my route from the get-go) to scratch made Galettes or hand pies.

    And maybe, once I’ve licked my wounds and rekindled my friendship with Apple Pie, I will give this another go and have an actual pie recipe to go with and some new, much prettier photos. In the meantime, I leave you with this Apple Pie Filling- it truly is such a tasty and easy recipe and makes enough filling for two medium Galettes or one to two apple pies depending on what size pie you’re making.

    Other great pie recipes:

    Peppermint Ice Cream Pie

    Rosie’s Award Winning Cherry Cheese Pie

    Helpful tools:

    Pie Plate

    APPLE PIE FILLING

    This Apple Pie filling is so simple and delicious- I keep going back to it whenever I need an easy fruit filling for a pie! This is great for the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    15 minPREP TIME

    15 minCOOK TIME

    30 minTOTAL TIME

    Yields Enough for 2 medium size galettes or 1-2 pies (depending on the size of your pies)

    Author:

    The Life Jolie, a variation of Eve Repp's Peach Cobbler filling.

    Save Recipe
    Print Recipe

    My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

    INGREDIENTS

    • 4 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used 20 Ounce apples for baking, the hold their shape really well. Another good option would be Cortland, just make sure they're larger or add an additional apple)
    • A squirt of lemon juice
    • ½ cup of sugar
    • 1 tsp. of cinnamon (if you really love cinnamon you could even add an additional 1.2 tsp. to the listed amount)
    • ½ cup of water
    • 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Place apples all ingredients into a pot over medium high heat. Stir well to combine.
    2. Once the mixture starts bubbling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the apples have softened a bit (be aware, they will soften a but more during baking).
    3. Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool a bit before assembling your pie, as per the instructions of the dough you use.

    You can find a full index of my recipes here.

    Don’t forget to follow The Life Jolie on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!

    Linked up at

    « Super Easy Fried Donuts
    Chicken and Parmesan Soup with Spinach and Orzo »
    • Share
    • Flipboard
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Brittany says

      September 28, 2015 at 10:53 am

      looks delicious. Can't wait to try it!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 28, 2015 at 10:58 am

        Thank you- it was really tasty!
        Reply
    2. Maria @ Pastels & Macarons says

      September 28, 2015 at 2:55 pm

      This looks SO yummy! I can't wait to try it out. I'm looking for any excuse to bake at the moment as my house is feeling a little cold and I want to warm it up... I may also want to warm my belly up with some lovely Fall baking ;)
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 29, 2015 at 11:38 am

        I hope you enjoy- no better way to warm a home than fresh baked goods :)
        Reply
    3. Carolyn K says

      September 28, 2015 at 5:32 pm

      That looks amazing I am ready to do some fall baking and that looks great. Thank you so much for sharing as I am actually trying to get to a nearby orchard this weekend.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 29, 2015 at 11:38 am

        I'm jealous- I'm dying to go picking but we're waiting for the first frost. Enjoy!
        Reply
    4. Emma Beal says

      September 28, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      I am fairly comfortable and confident in the kitchen; make some damn good sammiches. However baking is my arch nemesis; pie crust, biscuits, cookies, cake and the whole shebang of villians. Glad to see that I am not the only one who struggles with the processes, haha.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 29, 2015 at 11:37 am

        Haha, I'm glad I could help- it's comforting to know that I'm not the only on who struggles.
        Reply
    5. Carla says

      September 29, 2015 at 11:42 am

      Love this whole post. I can't wait to try out the pie filling. I have had problems in the past with pie crust as well, and I think my mom's is the best. I don't get how it turns out different when I make it. I'll let you know if I find the trick. In the meantime, can't wait to try out the filling!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 29, 2015 at 11:51 am

        I'm going to have to reach out to your mom to get her recipe! It was definitely not a banner baking weekend but at least it was delicious :)
        Reply
    6. Erica MacDonald says

      September 29, 2015 at 8:37 pm

      This looks so yummy- especially with Fall right around the corner. BTW, I love how authentic you are by saying that you don't have chef training. Do you know what? It doesn't matter- either you can cook or you can't! I am betting by your wonderful pics of your food that your recipes are awesome. Followed you on social media and signing up for your newsletter. Can't way to try some of these recipes.
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 30, 2015 at 9:47 am

        Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad to here that other people identify with my struggles in the kitchen :)Thanks for stopping by :)
        Reply
    7. Steph @ Steph in Thyme says

      September 29, 2015 at 9:48 pm

      Mmmmm I can smell those apples from here. So yummy, I'll eat it straight with a spoon!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        September 30, 2015 at 9:47 am

        Thank you- I may or may not have done a little bit of that :)
        Reply
    8. Rina I Thee Cook says

      October 01, 2015 at 1:10 pm

      Love this! Thanks so much for joining in the fun at Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!!!
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        October 01, 2015 at 8:28 pm

        Thank you :)
        Reply
    9. Katherines Corner says

      October 04, 2015 at 10:02 pm

      I'm making this!!!! Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Watch for your feature tomorrow xo
      Reply
      • Jessy says

        October 05, 2015 at 9:54 am

        I hope you enjoy :)
        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessy in a kitchen holding a white casserole pan and smiling.
    Hi, I'm Jessy!

    Welcome to The Life Jolie! I share simple, delicious recipes and ingredient prep tips to make your weeknight cooking a breeze!

    More about me →

    Fall Recipes

    • A spoon holding a scoop of potato ham soup.
      Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
    • A bowl of chicken and egg noodles soup with sliced bread and another bowl behind it.
      Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup
    • A square image of the Toll House Cookie Recipe
      Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Say goodbye to dry and tough pork chops: these Smothered Crock Pot Pork Chops are the ultimate fall-apart tender comfort food. With just 4 ingredients, this easy dinner will be your new go-to dump dinner!
      Fall Apart Slow Cooker Pork Chops
    • An overhead image of sliced turkey on a platter surrounded by fresh herbs in the middle of a Thanksgiving table.
      Roasted Spatchcock Glazed Turkey with Bourbon
    • Side angle image close up of Brie Phyllo Cup on a sheet pan
      Baked Brie Phyllo Cups

    Popular Recipes

    • A square image of how to melt chocolate chips in the microwave showing the chocolate once it's melted.
      How to Melt Chocolate Chips in the Kitchen
    • Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats are the healthy weeknight meal you'll want to make again and again. This is a seriously easy recipe that's full of delicious flavor without all the guilt!
      Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
    • Shrimp Macaroni Salad
      Very Best Shrimp Macaroni Salad Recipe
    • A square image of a white pot pouring cheese sauce over a bowl of broccoli with a blue towel behind it.
      Cheese Sauce for Broccoli Recipe
    • Do you love the Cheesecake Factory's Thai Lettuce Wraps! Well then why not make them at home? They're easy to make and totally delicious!
      Reader Request: Copycat Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps
    • A square image of Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken Thighs.
      Greek Yogurt Roasted Chicken Thighs Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy + Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Video Production

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright 2014-2021 - Jolie Ventures, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.