A secret skill I have is that I make pretty good homemade applesauce. While, at first, this seems like a daunting task, however like many other things you can make at home, it is super easy, takes very little prep time, and saves some money too.
Ingredients:
1. Apples – enough to fill a pot/crock pot three-quarters full (usually about 8 – 10)
2. H2O – between ⅓ and ½ cup
3. Ground Cinnamon – 1 tsp (or to taste)
4. Brown Sugar – between ½ and 1 cup (to taste)
That’s it. Four ingredients. Core and chop the apples into pieces that are roughly the same size. Toss in the cinnamon and brown sugar. Add water. Stir the pot to distribute the dry and wet ingredients. Cook on low heat until the apples are starting to get “mushy” (you’ll know when it’s done, usually 3 to 4 hours). Run through a food mill, and voila. . . .homemade applesauce!
Tips:
- If you don’t have a food mill – peel the apples. That way you don’t have to fish out peels at the end.
- Go to a farmer’s market and get the seconds. These are perfect apples for sauce.
- You can use brown or white sugar. It’s a personal preference. Modify the amount you use based on the sweetness of the apples you are using and how sweet you’d like the final product to be. Same with the cinnamon.
- Use a crock pot. That way you can have the apples cooking on low while you run errands and don’t have to watch the stove. To quote the great Ron Popeil, “set it, and forget it!”
In addition to just eating it (pro tip: try it warm over some vanilla ice cream), applesauce can also be used as a replacement for oil or water in some baking recipes. I’ve used it in pancakes and brownies and it doesn’t change the flavor of the item, but is another way to add moisture to baked goods.
Any other tips or suggestions?
Note: this was originally posted on another site but it’s no longer live, so I figured I’d share again here! 🙂