Instructions

1. Wash and remove the pits on the apricots.
2. Coarsely chop into small pieces.
3. Combine apple juice, sugar, clear jel, and cinnamon in a dutch oven.
4. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and reaches a boil.
5. Add the lemon juice and stir for about a minute.
6. Add the coarsely chopped apricots and stir for 3-4 minutes.
7. Immediately put into sterilized quart-size canning jars.
8. Place in a canner with an inch of water over the tops and boil for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
10. Use two refrigerated pie crusts for a 9-inch pie plate.
11. Place one pie crust as the bottom crust.
12. Add one canned quart of apricots to the pie.
13. Cover with second pie crust.
14. Pinch edges together and cut slits in pie.
15. Bake for 50 minutes until golden brown.
16. If making hand pies, use the back of the hand pie maker to cut the hand pies.
17. Fill each hand pie with 1/2 tablespoon of apricot pie filling.
18. Pinch the pie together with hand pie maker.
19. Brush each hand pie with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.
20. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.