Apple Pie in a Jar Canning Recipe

30. October 2019

Our friend and guest blogger Chez LaRae created this festive Apple Pie in a Jar recipe. This canning recipe will make a great holiday gift. LaRae is a self-taught baker, cooking and baking instructor, & recipe developer. See LaRae's other recipe guest blog posts.

Making Apple Pie in a Jar is a fun canning project to do when the season begins to change and fresh, sweet apples are at their very best. These little jars are perfect hostess gifts, teacher appreciation, stocking stuffers, or for squirreling away for the colder months. Apple Pie in a Jar tastes like the very best apple filling and can also be topped on morning oats, waffles, pancakes, or Dutch babies. Drop into thumbprint cookies or stuff into hand pies. There are many sweet things you can do with this treat.

Finish your jars with beautiful Country Quilt Apple canning labels and gingham cloth jam jar covers. They really add the festive final touch to apple jars.

For the recipe, I use mainly Granny Smith apples along with a few other apples for a more complex flavor profile. Good apples to use include: Jonagold, Pink Lady, or Honey Crisp.

Apple Pie in a Jar

Recipe adapted from the “New and Updated Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, 2024 Edition”

Preservation method: Waterbath canning

Difficulty level: Easy to medium

Yield: About six 8-oz jars

Head space: 1/4 inch (.635 cm)

Processing Time: 10 minutes

You will need clean jars and closures, a boiling-water canner, rack, jar lifter, canning funnel, and wooden skewer

 

PRINT THE RECIPE CARD

• 3/4 cup roughly chopped dried cranberries
• 6 cups of apples (about 5 or 6 whole apples). Use Granny Smith along with optional one or two different apples peeled and cored (good variety options: Jonagold, Pink Lady, or Honey Crisp)
• Grated zest of one lemon
• 3 Tbs bottled lemon juice, * see note
• 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 1 package regular powdered fruit pectin
• 9 cups sugar (measured out and ready in a bowl next to stove)
• 2 tsp apple pie spice
• 1 tsp butter (to reduce foam)

NOTE: Older Ball canning books for this recipe called for the juice and zest of one lemon. Ball has transitioned recipes over the years to use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh. They claim bottled lemon juice ensures a standardized acidity level compared to fresh lemons which can have varying pH levels. Apparently some apple varieties are less acidic, thus some experts feel they need acidified for canning. There is a difference of opinion on fresh lemon juice versus bottled, so you can do your own research. At any rate, we updated our old recipe post to match Ball’s updated recipe using bottled juice.

The original Ball recipes says you can use raisins OR cranberries. We chose cranberries. We also adjusted the spices for this adaptation by using apple pie spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg. 

PRINT THE RECIPE CARD

Prepare water bath canner, lids, and jars. Put jars in hot water bath, cover, and simmer over medium heat until ready to use.

Place apples in batches in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Chop apples and place in large bowl until all apples are chopped. It is fine if they are roughly chopped as they will soften into the consistency of chunky applesauce when cooked.

In a Dutch oven, combine apples, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften (about 10 minutes).

Remove from heat and whisk in powdered pectin until dissolved. Stir in cranberries. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once along with butter and return to a full, rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in apple pie spice. Skim foam.

Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.

Remove air bubbles with wooden skewer and readjust headspace if needed. Wipe jar rims with damp cloth and ensure there is no fruit or gel on the rims of the jars (or the jars may not seal). Apply lids and bands and adjust until fingertip tight.

Place jars onto a rack in the canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, process jam for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude* if needed (see chart below). Turn off heat and let jars sit in the canner for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. 

Let jars stand at room temperature untouched for 12-24 hours. After the jars cool, check seals by pressing the centers of lids with your finger. If the lid springs back, the lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary. 

Clean and wipe down jars. Decorate and date final jars with CanningCrafts’ labels. Store unopened jar in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

PRINT THE RECIPE CARD

 

*Altitude

Living at a higher altitude affects home canning recipes, just as it does baking recipes. Many people are unaware that they live at a high altitude. If you live at a high altitude, you’ll need to increase either your processing time or processing pressure. Most canning recipes state this info for elevations of 0 to 1,000 feet above sea level. If you aren’t sure what your elevation is, get more info from the National Center for Food Preservation. Or call your local extension office if unsure.

 

 

 

 

Decorate your apple canning jars with Country Quilt Apple canning labels. These fun canning jar labels come pre-printed with a variety of food options and have a blank version for handwriting text.

Shop all of our Apple Canning Labels.

 

Looking for more apple canning recipes? Try our Sweet Apple Cider Butter canning recipe. 

 

Want more apple recipes? Take a look at our mega list of Apple Canning recipes.

Follow our Canning Apples Pinterest Board for more recipes & inspiration.

 

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