Homemade Applesauce

Last week I tried making applesauce for the first time. I found a recipe in the America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker cookbook (from the library) that looked pretty easy -- and it was.

Here's what you do*:

Peel, core, and cut about 3 pounds of apples into 1 1/2" chunks. (I used Jonagold apples; others that were recommended were: Pink Lady, Jonathan, Macoun, Golden Delicious, empire, McIntosh, or Rome.)

Put all the cut up apples into the crock pot along with 1 cup apple juice or apple cider, 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for about 4 hours. The apples will be very soft and begin to disintegrate. Then, mash the apples thoroughly with a potato masher and season with additional sugar to taste and adjust the consistency with additional hot apple juice if needed. 

And you're done! Serve at room temperature or chilled.

With my first batch I decided to get a little creative and added two small chunks of fresh ginger to the apples while they were cooking. I took the chunks out before mashing the apples. It added just a hint of ginger spice--a little extra flavor! You could also add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the the apples while they cook instead.

*Recipe taken from "America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker cookbook.

Last week I tried making applesauce for the first time. I found a recipe in the America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker cookbook (from the library) that looked pretty easy -- and it was.

Here's what you do*:

Peel, core, and cut about 3 pounds of apples into 1 1/2" chunks. (I used Jonagold apples; others that were recommended were: Pink Lady, Jonathan, Macoun, Golden Delicious, empire, McIntosh, or Rome.)

Put all the cut up apples into the crock pot along with 1 cup apple juice or apple cider, 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for about 4 hours. The apples will be very soft and begin to disintegrate. Then, mash the apples thoroughly with a potato masher and season with additional sugar to taste and adjust the consistency with additional hot apple juice if needed. 

And you're done! Serve at room temperature or chilled.

With my first batch I decided to get a little creative and added two small chunks of fresh ginger to the apples while they were cooking. I took the chunks out before mashing the apples. It added just a hint of ginger spice--a little extra flavor! You could also add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the the apples while they cook instead.

*Recipe taken from "America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker cookbook.