With all the apple-picking, and apple butter making, and apple pie making I’ve been doing lately, you’d think I’d be sick of apples by now. But no! I love the diversity of things you can make with apples, so I’m gonna keep going.
One of my favorite relatively healthy snacks is applesauce. But I prefer to make my own because I know exactly what’s going into it. And it’s surprisingly simple to make! Here’s how I make my simple applesauce.
Start by peeling, coring, and chipping 10 apples.
Place apples in a heavy Dutch oven. Add sugar….
…salt…
…liquid…
…and lemon juice.
Stir, then bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, check for apple done-ness. Continue cooking, checking apple done-ness every ten minutes until the apples are very soft.
Using an immersion blender, blend the apples. (I like the Kalorik Sunny Morning blender
Everyone has their own preference for the smoothness of their applesauce. I like mine very smooth, so I continue to blend until there are no chunks of apples left, and the sauce is very smooth.
If you like cinnamon and would like to make cinnamon applesauce, this would be the time to mix it in. Start with one teaspoon, and continue adding cinnamon until it gets as cinnamon-y as you like it. I prefer to leave it out of the mix, and then just sprinkle the top before I eat it. Yum!
This recipe makes quite a bit of applesauce – more than one single girl can consume. So be on the lookout for future recipes of things to make with your homemade applesauce.
Here’s the complete recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
10 Apples (I like using 5 Fuji and 5 Gala, but you can use any mix you like.)
1 Cup liquid (water, cider, juice, etc.)
1/4 Cup sugar (regular white sugar or brown sugar)
Pinch salt
squeeze lemon juice
Instructions
1) Peel, core, and chop apples.
2) Add chopped apples to Dutch oven, then add sugar, liquid, salt, and lemon juice.
3) Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, begin testing apples for doneness. Continue cooking and checking every 10 minutes until apples are very soft.
4) Blend with an immersion blender until applesauce reaches your preferred consistency.
5) Serve topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
