Apple Pie Bars Recipe | My Baking Addiction (2024)

FAQs

Why did my apples turn to applesauce in my pie? ›

For example, sweeter apples tend to break down easier than their acidic partners. This means that apples like Red Delicious break down quickly, turning your pie into more of an applesauce than a delectable dessert.

Baking the apple slices first. It's the magic key to a crispy base, superior flavour and perfectly-cooked-and-never-mushy filling. It's also how you get a generous amount of pie filling without the dreaded giant empty cavity under the lid.

When you cook apples, the pectin in them breaks down, making the apples watery. The lower pH value of tart apples reduces the amount of pectin that breaks down, so the apples hold their shape and get less mushy. This will prevent your pie from getting watery.

There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.

Crust dust is a 1:1 mixture of flour and granulated sugar. When baking a pie, especially a fruit pie, a couple of teaspoons of crust dust sprinkled into the bottom of the crust will help prevent the crust from becoming saturated with juicy filling as it bakes.

A-Plus Apples

Instead, Mickey D's makes their pies with six different types of apples — Jonagold, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, Rome, and Ida Red, all of which are homegrown in the U.S. And the apples are sliced instead of diced, so you'll notice big chunks of apple in every bite.

The key word is “mix.” Instead of selecting one variety of apple, it's best to opt for a few, which will give the filling a more balanced and nuanced flavor. You'll want some sweet and some tart, and most should be firm enough to hold their shape when baked. No one wants a mushy pie!

Which apples bake best? For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency.

How do you make an apple pie less juicy? ›

As a natural preservative, salt can also keep your apples from turning brown too quickly. The layer of salt will help slow down the oxidation process considerably. Once you've cut your apple slices, spread them out on a plate. Sprinkle kosher salt over the exposed apply flesh.

Indications that your canned apple pie filling has gone bad are: if the can is dented, leaking, rusted, or swollen; unusual odor; changes in color or texture. For homemade apple pie filling, look for mould, off smells, or discoloration. When in doubt, it's always safer to toss and start again.

Dry and Mealy Apples

The middle lamella that once held cells together also weakens over time. When you bite into an aging apple, the cellular tissue bends and breaks apart into individual, unbroken cells. The result is a sand-like, mushy texture in the mouth.