Apple Sauce 101

Perhaps you decided to embark on an outdoorsy, family adventure this month and have already headed out to the nearest orchard, enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and picked some delicious apples. If that was the case, you have probably exhausted yourself baking a bunch of pies and are still wondering what do with the seemingly endless bounty of apples that have been sitting on your kitchen counter for the past week. If you are looking for a simple recipe with minimal fuss, consider making your own applesauce. Seriously, if you can peel apples and boil water, you can master homemade apple sauce. First, either go to the grocery store or pick your own naturally sweet apples, such as Gala, Fuji, MacIntosh or Honeycrisp to name a few. This year I used a mixture of Fuji and McIntosh and these two varieties combined made my applesauce so sweet that I didn't need to add any sugar at all.

Here's what to do to create some heavenly sauce in your own kitchen...

Apple Sauce 101

• Wash, peel, core and chunk as many apples that will fit into a large, thick bottomed pot.
• Add 1/2 cup of water, put the lid on and turn the burner on high heat.
• When the water begins to boil and things really start to get going, turn down the heat to medium low, so the apples are at a simmer.
• Keep the pot covered and stir every 15 minutes or so. It's important to stir well from the bottom so the apples cook down evenly.
• Let the apples cook for an hour or more, depending on whether you like your applesauce on the chunky side or smooth.
• At this point you can add some cinnamon to taste and remove from the burner to cool a bit.
• Serve & place the remainder in a container and store for up to a week in the fridge .
• You can also freeze leftovers and take out to thaw a day before you plan on eating. Applesauce freezes really well.

I guarantee this homemade applesauce will taste way better and be alot healthier than anything you have ever had from a store and by selecting the right apples, it will be so naturally sweet that you won't need to add any sugar at all.