I love apples, all kinds of apples, and I love them in every way, shape, and form – pie, cake, brownies, breads, out of hand, you get the point. But, I confess that sometimes I buy more apples than I can eat. Which was the predicament I found myself in today. Since I don’t have anyone else to cook for and no immediate person to give goodies to, I decided against using them in baked goods. Plus, I was craving something healthy. So I decided to make . . . .
Applesauce!
This has truly been a year of firsts for me – baking my own bread, making my own jam, and now cooking up a pot of applesauce. It’s been a wonderful and fun learning experience. Not to mention, it’ll do wonders for my food storage someday.
I used gala and fuji apples, since that’s what I had in my fridge. But, I would imagine that any type of cooking apple would work in this recipe. I also omitted the sugar since I prefer my applesauce as natural as possible. Trust me, you really don’t need it. Spices, on the other hand, are a must for me. I added in some cinnamon, a dash of ginger, and a little cardamom.
I was amazed by how quickly the applesauce came together. In less than half an hour, I had this beautiful bowlful of applesauce all ready for snacking.
Oh yum. Goodbye store-bought applesauce.
How to make Homemade Applesauce:
4 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. sugar (optional, I omitted this)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash of ginger and cardamom (optional)
In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar (if using), and spices. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15-20 min., or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.
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Applesauce.
Lisa blogs at Sweet as Sugar Cookies.Interested in contributing a guest post to the Farm Bell blog? Read information here for Farm Bell blog submissions.
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ML Cauley says:
Is it ok to just cut up apples and put them in the blender or food processor instead of cooking and mashing them up?
On October 27, 2010 at 9:55 am
Lisa says:
@ML – I’ve never tried it that way (due to my lack of a blender/food processor), but imagine that it would work.
On October 27, 2010 at 11:34 am
marianne says:
What a coincidence – I have a crockpot full of apples cooking as I type! I don’t add sugar either, the apples are sweet enough (a mix of Gala, Golden Delicious, and Empire.) Then I just toss in a bit of lemon juice, a tsp ea. cinnamon and vanilla and a little fresh apple cider. I use my stick/immersion blender to whirr it up when done and voila! delicious and healthy homemade applesauce! Enjoy yours!
On October 27, 2010 at 2:52 pm