Lazy Apple Pie in a Jar

I love apple pies, but to be quite honest with you... sometimes I'm just a bit too lazy to do it.

One night I was craving an apple pie so bad that I decided to make one for myself. So I peeled the apple, made the sauce, cooked the apple... But by the time I was supposed to make the crust and preheat the oven I was sooo sleepy already. So I put the filling in a mason jar and pop it in the fridge. "I'll finish it tomorrow". Ha!

The next morning, all that energy to make pies was gone. So I had an idea: I toasted some bread, put a spoonful of the hot filling on top, sprinkled some good granola, and Ta-da! Instantaneous delicious! The buttery toast, the amazing filling, and the crunch of the granola were all that I needed to fulfill my apple pie cravings.

Since then, once in a while when I have a lot of apples, I do some quick apple pie filling and leave it in the fridge. This way I can enjoy my Lazy Apple Pie at any time! And now I'll show you who to do it!

Tip: Later I discovered another advantage: it lasts a lot longer than a regular apple pie. Great if you live alone.

Step 1: Ingredients

Filling

4 apples peeled and thinly sliced

1 lemon or lime - juiced

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup light brown sugar ("demerara sugar") - or any sugar, really

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground if possible

1 tablespoon butter - substitute or take it out for a vegan version

For the buttery-crunchiness

Toasts

Granola

Butter - substitute or take it out for a vegan version

Tip: don't worry too much about precision in the apple quantities or variety. Use what you have. Usually, I mix different types of apples (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, etc) and I discovered that this is great to balance the taste out. But if you're going to buy apples for this recipe, take with you some Granny Smith, since the tartness of it goes well with the sugar! And if you only have like 3 or 5 apples at home, do it anyway. You'll have a bit more or less sauce in the apple-sauce ratio but is not really a problem.

Step 2: Preparing the Filling

1. Prepare a lemon bath for your apples, with water and the juice of one lemon in a bowl. This will prevent your apple from going brown while you're peeling and cutting them.
2. Peel and cut the apples in thin slices, one at a time, and putting the cut one in the lemon bath.
3. Put the water, sugar, cornstarch, and spices in a large saucepan. Mix it well before bringing it to heat, so the cornstarch doesn't clump.
4. Stir frequently until the mixture thickens and starts to simmer.
5. Drain the apples and add them to the mixture. Stir until it's all coated.
6. Lower the heat and leave it for about 10-12 minutes.
7. In the end, add the butter to the pan and mix it until it is all melted and well incorporated into the mixture.
8. Allow the filling to cool in room temp and then transfer it to your mason jar and store it in the fridge.

Step 3: Putting All Together

1. Take a fill Tablespoon of your filling out of the mason jar, I use about 2 tablespoons per toast.
2. Heat it for about 30 seconds in the microwave. This is optional, but I love a warm apple pie so I recommend it.
3. Toast your slices of bread and put a bit of butter on it, while still hot
4. Put you filling on top of the toast and a bit of granola on top of the filling. And voilà. You have your Lazy Apple Pie. It goes well with some vanilla ice cream... Oh no. Now I'm craving it again.

Comments

[11557]

I was a little surprised about putting a glass jar in the freezer. I would be afraid I would forget it and it would get broken. Maybe a Mason jar would be strong enough as long as it wasn't too full. Does anyone know?

[Carolina Parente]

Omg, I meant "fridge", not "freezer"!! IDK why I wrote "freezer", thanks for the feedback.

But you can actually freeze things in mason jars, but you have to leave a lot of headspace since the water content will expand.

[11557]

Thank you soo much for the idea! We have several apple trees and lots of apples, but very little time to cook, so we want to make the most of it. Most will be cider, and some will be dried, but there has to be at least one "apple pie"! This will be perfect for Saturday morning breakfasts.

[Carolina Parente]

Let me know you give it a try! I'm willing to hear your feedback! <3 Thanks a lot!

[Chevy57]

Adorei a simplicidade! Muito boa idèia! Thanks for posting this one.

[Carolina Parente]

Obrigada! :D

[tercero]

Well, there you go. Looks great and easy to do. Thanks for posting this.

[Carolina Parente]

Thank you <3

[Gamer4Fire]

If I properly canned these after putting them in the mason jars, would I be able to store them in my cupboard at room temperature, or would the additional "cooking" mess it up?

[Carolina Parente]

This is a great idea 😮 you can always cook them for a small amount of time to compensate! I would skip the cooking time after you add the apples (topic 6 of step 2)!

[Irishintx]

i forwarded this to a friend, great idea!

[Carolina Parente]

Yay! I hope they like it! Thank you! <3

[rozzieozzie]

Great idea! It's also great for my weight loss efforts, because if I make a whole pie, since I live by myself I have to eat the whole thing over the next week! Thank you!

[Carolina Parente]

Yes! I love baking, but I hate the feeling that I HAVE to eat everything right away.