Homemade Apple Spice Recipe - Evolving Table (2024)

FAQs

What is a substitute for apple spice? ›

It's super easy to make your own apple pie spice substitute: Just combine 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon with 2 teaspoons each each ground nutmeg and allspice. You can make this mixture in bulk and store in a spice jar in your spice cabinet. Use your homemade blend as an even swap for apple pie spice in any recipe.

At the end of the day, choosing the best pie apples is a personal decision. My best apple pie would include a combination of these three: Cortland, for flavor; Russet, for texture; and Granny Smith, for its combination of the two.

Pumpkin spice, also known as pumpkin pie spice, is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Some pumpkin spice mixes might leave out a spice or two, but most consist of at least two or three of the spices listed above.

Your pumpkin pie spice blend should keep fresh for two to three years. However, this largely depends on the freshness of each spice used in the recipe. Check if spices are expired before making your pumpkin spice blend, and be sure to store it in an airtight container to help it last longer.

How to Use Apple Pie Spice. Mix the ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom together, and store the spice blend in an airtight container until you're ready to use it. It won't go bad, but ground spices do lose their potency over time.

Apple pie spice is a blend of various ground spices. On the other hand, allspice is a standalone spice derived from the berry of the Pimenta dioica plant. Not only do the two have different flavor profiles, but they also serve different uses in cooking.

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.

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.

One of the chief reasons bakers end up with apple soup under the crust is failure to bake their pie long enough. There's almost no such thing as over-baking an apple pie; I've baked apple pies for 2 hours and longer, and they turn out just fine.

Allspice is the dried, unripened berry of the myrtle pepper tree, or pimento, which is native to Jamaica and much of Central America. The berries are briefly fermented, then sun-dried until brown. Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor.

Why is pumpkin spice so addictive? ›

Scarcity, flavor, and nostalgia equal obsession.

People's obsession with pumpkin spice is an intriguing psychological occurrence. The taste of pumpkin spice may be desirable due to its scarcity, as it's only available during the fall. In addition to flavor and taste, pumpkin spice can also create nostalgia.

The Pilgrims brought the pumpkin pie back to New England, while the English method of cooking the pumpkin took a different course. In the 19th century, the English pumpkin pie was prepared by stuffing the pumpkin with apples, spices, and sugar and then baking it whole.

Common Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitution Questions

To get 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have! If you have two of the above spices, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of whichever two spices you do have.

According to FoodSafety.gov, homemade pumpkin pie can be stored in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. To keep your pie as fresh as possible, be sure to wrap it loosely in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Spices do not expire in the same way that milk does nor do they become moldy or rotten in the same way fresh produce does. It's better to think of spices as going “not good” rather than bad.

This lively blend is dominated by an aromatic burst of sweet and spicy cinnamon and the flavor of ripe, juicy apples.

Substitute nutmeg with cinnamon, mace, or allspice. Since it is also found in some spice mixes, these also serve as good alternatives in a pinch: pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice.