Brown Butter Apple Pie Filling
Homemade brown butter apple pie filling with tender apples, brown sugar, and a thick cinnamon-spiced brown butter sauce. It's perfect for making ahead and using in pastries like turnovers and Danish, spooning over pancakes or waffles, or filling a classic apple pie. Makes around 4 cups of filling.
Equipment
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 900 g apples peeled, cored and chopped; weighed after chopping. Granny Smith, Braeburn or Pink Lady
- 45 g butter salted or unsalted
- 130 g light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp fine salt adjust to taste if using salted butter
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp toasted milk powder optional, stir straight into filling at the end
Instructions
- Peel, core and chop the apples into approximately 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) pieces. Weigh 900 g (2 lb) after preparing. 900 g apples
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring or swirling, until the milk solids are light amber and the butter smells nutty. 45 g butter
- Add the apples straight away and stir to coat them in the butter. Stir in the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. 130 g light brown sugar, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp fine salt
- Cook over medium heat for around 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to soften and release their juices. They should still hold their shape. There is no need to reduce all the liquid. 30 g all-purpose flour
- Sprinkle the flour evenly over the apples and stir well. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the juices thicken into a sauce and the flour is cooked through.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the toasted milk powder, if using. Stir the milk powder directly into the filling. 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp toasted milk powder
- Cool the filling before using it in pastry.
Notes
Apples: Use 900 g (2 lb) prepared apple weight, after peeling and coring. Granny Smith, Braeburn and Pink Lady all work well.
Cut the apples to suit what you're making. For small pastries, I chop fairly small pieces because they're easier to spoon out and seal inside the dough. For larger tarts or pies, you can leave the pieces a little bigger or slice the apples instead.
Butter: Brown only to light amber, since it keeps cooking briefly as the apples are added.
Texture: The apples should retain a little bite if the filling will be baked again. Do not cook away all the released juices before adding flour.
Storage: Cool promptly, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 92mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 162IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 0.4mg
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