Homemade Applesauce

I haven't made a real batch of homemade applesauce in ages - way too long! This stuff is so, so good. I am not a huge fan of store bought applesauce because there is something bland and watered down about it - but a home made batch with farm fresh apples? Yes, please. I have been snacking on this stuff the past couple days and scheming about slathering it on baked pork chops.

We were lucky enough to go apple picking in Ellijay over the weekend and brought home a LOT of apples and I decided a good batch of applesauce was a starting place for them all. A lot of the baked goods I've thought about making use applesauce anyway, so why not have a homemade version and use up some of the yummy apples at the same time.

Peeling apples is definitely time consuming, but I enjoyed the work when I was up with just Lindsey at about 7:30am yesterday, enjoying a quiet morning home thanks to the Holiday. She was content to play in her playroom, popping in and out of the kitchen to say hi, while I prepped and worked quietly over the sink in the kitchen. Once the apples were prepped the rest was very quick - everything got thrown in my big Cuisinart pot (one of the few times I needed one that size!) and simmered over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Once the apples were tender, I just turned the heat off and left it sitting on the stove top while we ate breakfast, then cleaned up breakfast. When that was all done I continued on with the pureeing in 2 batches in my Vitamix. I like the consistency to be mostly smooth, but with some small pieces and a thicker texture to give it some character.

I broke the finished sauce up into some mason jars and one tupperware and have them stashed in the fridge. I think this stuff would make wonderful Christmas gifts with pretty ribbons or chalk labels on the front. Yumm.

Homemade Applesauce adapted from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
6 pounds apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 slices (approximately 15 apples)
1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Put prepped apples into a large soup pot, add in remaining ingredients and stir gently.
2. Cook apples over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Apples should be very tender and starting to break down.
3. Use a hand masher, stick blender, food processor, or blender to blend apples until they reached your desired consistency. If you use a food processor or blender, blend in small batches and cover the top with a kitchen towel to prevent splatters from hot sauce.
4. Store in small containers and refrigerate. Use in baked goods, with pork chops, as a side dish, for breakfast, with oatmeal, etc. Enjoy!