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As I mentioned in another thread earlier today, I am making homemade applesauce at the moment. It's probably just about done. It smells absolutely divine. I thought I would share the "recipe" since it's so easy and good. I say "recipe" in quotes because there is really no measurements, just the procedure and adding spices and such to taste. It's made in a crock pot so once the initial prep work is done, you can let it go all afternoon (or overnight) and don't have to worry too much about it.
Disclaimer: Making and eatting homemade applesauce will probably make you never want to eat store-bought stuff again. You have been warned!
Ingredients:
15-20 apples of various varieties. I use about 4-5 each MacIntosh, Granny Smith, Gala, and Red Delicious.
1-2 cups liquid (water, apple juice, apple cider, or cranberry juice)
1/2-1 cup sugar (either brown or white, or a mixture)
Cinnamon, cloves, and freshly ground nutmeg to taste
Cinnamon red-hot candies (Optional)
First, I really want to stress that using several varieties of apples is the key to great tasting applesauce. If your local grocery store carries them, I would recommend picking up one 3lb bag of apples of your favorite variety (you could even get a second bag of a different variety) and then at least two or three apples of two or three different varieties. It's the blend of flavors that really makes great applesauce, to me.
Wash, peel, core, and quarter all of your apples. The easiest way for me to core an apple is to stand it up straight, and chop the flesh off in 4 big chunks, leaving the core behind. Like you're cutting the flesh off of a mango. But I digress.
Toss all the apple chunks in your crock pot and add some liquid. I used about 16 or 17 apples and 1c water and about 2/3c cranberry juice and it's just about perfect. You don't want to add too much liquid (it definitely should not cover all the apples) because the apples will break down and become juicy once they start cooking, and you could end up with apple soup. Which may not be that bad, really. On the other hand, you want enough liquid that it won't boil off while the apples are breaking down, because otherwise the apples on the bottom could burn (this is less likely if you use a crock pot, though. This recipe can be done on the stove in a big soup kettle or stock pot, in which case the liquid could boil off faster and burn the apples.) My mom always recommended to start with about a cup of liquid and add as you go along if needed.
I cooked mine on high for about 45 minutes, just to get everything heated up, then on low for about 3 hours before I did anything to it. You could start it on low and just let it go longer if you wanted. If you're available, stir it about once an hour or so, and make sure there's enough liquid in the bottom of the pot.
When they start to turn the mush, add some spices. I used a lot of cinnamon (probably a couple tablespoons), a couple teaspoons of freshly grated nutmeg (freshly grated is, of course, best since it gives off the best flavor) and about a teaspoon of cloves. I also added the sugar at about this time, but didn't measure how much. I would recommend tasting your applesauce after you add and stir in all the spices, to see how sweet it gets with just the apples, and add accordingly. I didn't use much, probably 1/2 cup at the most (I used brown sugar, but my mom always uses white.) If you're going to add the cinnamon red-hot candies, remember that they're sweet too so you won't need as much sugar if you're going to use them. The candies, by the way, add a bit more cinnamon to the sauce and turn it a really beautiful rose color. Add them in while the sauce is still on the heat, and they will dissolve almost instantly when you stir them in.
I like my applesauce chunky and rustic, so I just let the apples break down on their own. If you like a smoother applesauce, you could blend it or put it on a food processor in batches to make a puree. It keeps for literally months in the fridge, and you can do so much with it, from eating it straight up, to making baked goods with it, to topping pork chops with it.
Now, I have a question. What temperature does everyone like their applesauce at? I love mine hot. I think it's best when it's just done cooking and still steaming. Apparently I am in the minority, at least among the people I know, because everyone in my family including my husband likes it cold. I always microwave a bowl of it after it's been made and sitting in the fridge when I want to eat it.
Disclaimer: Making and eatting homemade applesauce will probably make you never want to eat store-bought stuff again. You have been warned!
Ingredients:
15-20 apples of various varieties. I use about 4-5 each MacIntosh, Granny Smith, Gala, and Red Delicious.
1-2 cups liquid (water, apple juice, apple cider, or cranberry juice)
1/2-1 cup sugar (either brown or white, or a mixture)
Cinnamon, cloves, and freshly ground nutmeg to taste
Cinnamon red-hot candies (Optional)
First, I really want to stress that using several varieties of apples is the key to great tasting applesauce. If your local grocery store carries them, I would recommend picking up one 3lb bag of apples of your favorite variety (you could even get a second bag of a different variety) and then at least two or three apples of two or three different varieties. It's the blend of flavors that really makes great applesauce, to me.
Wash, peel, core, and quarter all of your apples. The easiest way for me to core an apple is to stand it up straight, and chop the flesh off in 4 big chunks, leaving the core behind. Like you're cutting the flesh off of a mango. But I digress.
Toss all the apple chunks in your crock pot and add some liquid. I used about 16 or 17 apples and 1c water and about 2/3c cranberry juice and it's just about perfect. You don't want to add too much liquid (it definitely should not cover all the apples) because the apples will break down and become juicy once they start cooking, and you could end up with apple soup. Which may not be that bad, really. On the other hand, you want enough liquid that it won't boil off while the apples are breaking down, because otherwise the apples on the bottom could burn (this is less likely if you use a crock pot, though. This recipe can be done on the stove in a big soup kettle or stock pot, in which case the liquid could boil off faster and burn the apples.) My mom always recommended to start with about a cup of liquid and add as you go along if needed.
I cooked mine on high for about 45 minutes, just to get everything heated up, then on low for about 3 hours before I did anything to it. You could start it on low and just let it go longer if you wanted. If you're available, stir it about once an hour or so, and make sure there's enough liquid in the bottom of the pot.
When they start to turn the mush, add some spices. I used a lot of cinnamon (probably a couple tablespoons), a couple teaspoons of freshly grated nutmeg (freshly grated is, of course, best since it gives off the best flavor) and about a teaspoon of cloves. I also added the sugar at about this time, but didn't measure how much. I would recommend tasting your applesauce after you add and stir in all the spices, to see how sweet it gets with just the apples, and add accordingly. I didn't use much, probably 1/2 cup at the most (I used brown sugar, but my mom always uses white.) If you're going to add the cinnamon red-hot candies, remember that they're sweet too so you won't need as much sugar if you're going to use them. The candies, by the way, add a bit more cinnamon to the sauce and turn it a really beautiful rose color. Add them in while the sauce is still on the heat, and they will dissolve almost instantly when you stir them in.
I like my applesauce chunky and rustic, so I just let the apples break down on their own. If you like a smoother applesauce, you could blend it or put it on a food processor in batches to make a puree. It keeps for literally months in the fridge, and you can do so much with it, from eating it straight up, to making baked goods with it, to topping pork chops with it.
Now, I have a question. What temperature does everyone like their applesauce at? I love mine hot. I think it's best when it's just done cooking and still steaming. Apparently I am in the minority, at least among the people I know, because everyone in my family including my husband likes it cold. I always microwave a bowl of it after it's been made and sitting in the fridge when I want to eat it.
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