Foodie Friday: Applesauce

 

I tend to say "too many apples, too little time" this time of year.  I make applesauce and pies.  I LOVE making pies.  I'll post my carmel apple pie recipe soon, promise.  But today I want to share something so easy it's pathetic.  Once I started making sauce I could not believe I had been purchasing it for too many years.  Sam likes chunky sauce and so do we.  We also like tart sauce, but you can make it sweet; just adjust the apples you use and/or

add brown sugar (which I find superior for apples over white sugar.)
Apple sauce can be made on top of the stove or in your crock pot.  I prefer the crock because I don't have to stir and just load it up at night and have sauce in the morning.  I usually do this on a Friday night so I can cool and store the sauce Saturday morning (wouldn't be able to do this on a weekday.)  This year, instead of just quart freezer containers (sauce is good for up to a year in the freezer) I'm doing 4 oz containers as well, because that's perfect Sammy and/or snack size.

EASY-PEASY HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE
Choose the apples to your taste.  I use a mix of Gala & Granny Smith.  But Fuji, Red Delicious and Pink Lady make great sauce as well.
Peel, core & slice enough apples to come almost all the way up in your pot or crock.
Add enough water to prevent sticking.  In my 4 qt crock, this is just about 1/4 c. You have to watch and add more water if you are using the stove top method, but just cover and walk away if you are using your crock pot.
*Cover and set crock on low for up to 7 hours, or on high for 2-3, until apples are smooshy OR
*Cook in a heavy pot on the stove (cover on) on low-medium for 2-4 hours, stirring and adding more water as needed.
When apples are smooshy, you can stir & smash for chunky sauce, or cool and put in the blender for smooth sauce.  Add cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg or whatever combo you like, to taste.  Add brown sugar in SMALL amounts if you desire a sweeter sauce. 
I promise you'll love this sauce more than anything you purchase at the store AND you'll save money.  Right now you can usually get a 10lb bag of apples for $10... I made 2 batches in my 4 qt crock, using approx 9 lbs of apples, which yielded about 6 1/2-7 qts of finished sauce.

If you want that fancy-schmancy sauce w/ additional fruits, add those (thawed frozen or fresh) in the last 1 hr of cooking.  Peaches and pears are particularly good.
ENJOY!