Just the thought of applesauce brings me back to my childhood. My grandma always had sweet, bright red applesauce in the fridge when we came to visit. Despite planning amazing menus that were perfectly paired, all the grandchildren insisted on her adding applesauce to our family meals. When my family moved from Denver to Seattle in 1994 my grandma would still pack up frozen applesauce for me to take home with me on every visit.
Grandma’s applesauce is so good that like many other dishes I’ve always been intimidated to make my own because I knew it would not come close to matching hers. This weekend I finally decided it was time to tackle the great applesauce challenge and I’m pleased to say it turned out great. I like my applesauce a bit chunky so I opted to leave half the apple skins on and used the CrockPot to save time. I used an immersion blender right in the CrockPot to puree the apples after cooking. The immersion blender is such a time saver and really allows you to control the consistency. Be prepared for your entire house to smell like fall while the apples are cooking!
Ingredients:
- 10-15 large apples
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- juice of 1 lemon, plus 1-2 small peel slices
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (could easily reduce this amount or skip if your apples are really sweet)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
- Peel apples as desired (I only peel about half) and chop (the smaller you chop the shorter the cooking time) and add to CrockPot
- Add the remaining 5 ingredients and mix well
- Set a CrockPot on low for 4-5 hours, stiring occasionally
- When the apples are softened chose your method to puree. Potato masher for a chunky applesauce, immersion blender gives a medium chunky or transfer to blender for smoother consistency.
- Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Enjoy!
Cooking with Care 